Syria begins destroying chemical weapons under UN resolution

The plan to disarm Syria of its chemical weapon stockpile began today according to security officials monitoring the process.

Following the deadly Damascus chemical weapons attack, United States President Barack Obama agreed not to strike Syria if the country agreed to an UN resolution calling for the destruction of their chemical weapons, says BBC News.

According to chemical weapons expert, Amy Smithson, the job will not be easy given Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s previous history of deception.

NPR quotes her, “If Assad is true to form--and previously he has stalled and delayed and done everything he could to hide evidence of his nuclear weapons program--now’s the time for him to be moving things about and perhaps hiding what he wants to try keep away from the inspectors.”

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is overseeing the operation which must be completed by mid-2014, a stunningly small amount of time for a country in the midst of a bloody civil war.