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| Delay in Chemical Arms Pledge Criticized | Delay in Chemical Arms Pledge Criticized |
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| The United States sharply criticized Syria on Thursday over delays in the timetable for eliminating its chemical weapons, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately stalling their removal from the country to gain bargaining leverage and — in a new complaint — reneging on a pledge to destroy the 12 facilities that produced them. | The United States sharply criticized Syria on Thursday over delays in the timetable for eliminating its chemical weapons, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately stalling their removal from the country to gain bargaining leverage and — in a new complaint — reneging on a pledge to destroy the 12 facilities that produced them. |
| The criticisms reflected growing impatience with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who renounced his chemical weapons arsenal and joined the treaty that bans them after an international uproar over an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in the country’s civil war. | The criticisms reflected growing impatience with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who renounced his chemical weapons arsenal and joined the treaty that bans them after an international uproar over an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in the country’s civil war. |
| Under a Russian-American deal that averted a United States airstrike on Syrian military sites, Mr. Assad pledged that the entire chemical arsenal would be destroyed by the middle of this year. A United Nations Security Council resolution, unanimously passed on Sept. 27, was meant to ensure Syria’s compliance. | Under a Russian-American deal that averted a United States airstrike on Syrian military sites, Mr. Assad pledged that the entire chemical arsenal would be destroyed by the middle of this year. A United Nations Security Council resolution, unanimously passed on Sept. 27, was meant to ensure Syria’s compliance. |
| Mr. Assad’s government initially cooperated with an international team overseeing the sequestering of the weapons and destruction of the equipment needed to activate them. But the cooperation began to falter in adhering to a timetable for exporting the roughly 1,200 tons of chemicals in the arsenal for eventual destruction at sea. | Mr. Assad’s government initially cooperated with an international team overseeing the sequestering of the weapons and destruction of the equipment needed to activate them. But the cooperation began to falter in adhering to a timetable for exporting the roughly 1,200 tons of chemicals in the arsenal for eventual destruction at sea. |
| The Syrians missed the first deadline on Dec. 31 for removal of the most dangerous toxins, and are likely to miss the second on Feb. 5, when the entire stockpile is supposed to be safely out of the country. Only two small shipments have been exported so far from the Syrian port of Latakia. | The Syrians missed the first deadline on Dec. 31 for removal of the most dangerous toxins, and are likely to miss the second on Feb. 5, when the entire stockpile is supposed to be safely out of the country. Only two small shipments have been exported so far from the Syrian port of Latakia. |
| A multinational flotilla has been waiting to safely transport the rest. A United States naval vessel, the Cape Ray, equipped with technology to render the chemicals harmless, on Monday began the voyage from Virginia to a southern Italian port, where the chemicals are to be transferred into its cargo hold. | A multinational flotilla has been waiting to safely transport the rest. A United States naval vessel, the Cape Ray, equipped with technology to render the chemicals harmless, on Monday began the voyage from Virginia to a southern Italian port, where the chemicals are to be transferred into its cargo hold. |
| Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking Thursday in Warsaw, expressed concern over the slow progress, and said he had telephoned his Russian counterpart, Sergei K. Shoigu, on Wednesday requesting Moscow’s influence on Mr. Assad’s government to accelerate compliance. | Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking Thursday in Warsaw, expressed concern over the slow progress, and said he had telephoned his Russian counterpart, Sergei K. Shoigu, on Wednesday requesting Moscow’s influence on Mr. Assad’s government to accelerate compliance. |
| Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said Secretary of State John Kerry had also called his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Wednesday. “This is not rocket science,” Ms. Psaki said of the Syrian behavior. “They’re dragging their feet.” | Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said Secretary of State John Kerry had also called his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Wednesday. “This is not rocket science,” Ms. Psaki said of the Syrian behavior. “They’re dragging their feet.” |
| The American frustration was expressed two days after President Obama described the agreement to eliminate the arsenal as an unqualified success. “American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemical weapons are being eliminated,” Mr. Obama said in his State of the Union address. | The American frustration was expressed two days after President Obama described the agreement to eliminate the arsenal as an unqualified success. “American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemical weapons are being eliminated,” Mr. Obama said in his State of the Union address. |
| The most pointed criticism on Thursday came from the United States ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the group that is helping the United Nations oversee destruction of the arsenal. | The most pointed criticism on Thursday came from the United States ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the group that is helping the United Nations oversee destruction of the arsenal. |
| The ambassador, Robert P. Mikulak, said in a statement he presented at the organization’s executive council meeting that since its last meeting on Jan. 8, “the effort to remove chemical agent and key precursor chemicals from Syria has seriously languished and stalled.” | The ambassador, Robert P. Mikulak, said in a statement he presented at the organization’s executive council meeting that since its last meeting on Jan. 8, “the effort to remove chemical agent and key precursor chemicals from Syria has seriously languished and stalled.” |
| He said that only about 4 percent of the chemicals, half of them considered especially dangerous, had been exported from Latakia so far — the first public disclosure of how much remains in the country. | He said that only about 4 percent of the chemicals, half of them considered especially dangerous, had been exported from Latakia so far — the first public disclosure of how much remains in the country. |
| Mr. Mikulak also said Syria’s “open-ended delaying of the removal operation could ultimately jeopardize the carefully timed and coordinated multistate removal and destruction effort.” | Mr. Mikulak also said Syria’s “open-ended delaying of the removal operation could ultimately jeopardize the carefully timed and coordinated multistate removal and destruction effort.” |
| Mr. Assad and his subordinates have said the delays are the result of security concerns about insurgent sabotage on the routes to the port. They demanded additional equipment, including armored jackets for shipping containers, electronic countermeasures and detectors to thwart roadside bombs. | Mr. Assad and his subordinates have said the delays are the result of security concerns about insurgent sabotage on the routes to the port. They demanded additional equipment, including armored jackets for shipping containers, electronic countermeasures and detectors to thwart roadside bombs. |
| “These demands are without merit and display a ‘bargaining mentality’ rather than a security mentality,” Mr. Mikulak said in his statement, posted on the State Department’s website. | “These demands are without merit and display a ‘bargaining mentality’ rather than a security mentality,” Mr. Mikulak said in his statement, posted on the State Department’s website. |
| He also expressed American objections to a Syrian proposal that the seven hardened aircraft hangars and five underground structures used for producing the deadly chemicals in Syria remain “inactivated” rather than be destroyed, as specified under the treaty banning the weapons. | He also expressed American objections to a Syrian proposal that the seven hardened aircraft hangars and five underground structures used for producing the deadly chemicals in Syria remain “inactivated” rather than be destroyed, as specified under the treaty banning the weapons. |
| “These proposed measures are readily reversible within days and clearly do not meet the requirement of ‘physically destroy’ as provided for by the Convention and the precedents for implementing that requirement,” he said. | “These proposed measures are readily reversible within days and clearly do not meet the requirement of ‘physically destroy’ as provided for by the Convention and the precedents for implementing that requirement,” he said. |
| Mr. Mikulak said the United States wanted the roofs of the hangars and entries to the tunnels collapsed, and wanted “the overall structural integrity of the tunnels” compromised. | Mr. Mikulak said the United States wanted the roofs of the hangars and entries to the tunnels collapsed, and wanted “the overall structural integrity of the tunnels” compromised. |
| In a separate development, the Swedish scientist who led a United Nations panel that investigated the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack and other suspected uses of the weapons in the Syrian conflict said in an interview published Thursday that he doubted the Syrian government’s claims that rebels had been responsible. | In a separate development, the Swedish scientist who led a United Nations panel that investigated the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack and other suspected uses of the weapons in the Syrian conflict said in an interview published Thursday that he doubted the Syrian government’s claims that rebels had been responsible. |
| It appeared to be the first time that the scientist, Ake Sellstrom, had publicly expressed an opinion about which side was to blame. His panel’s assignment was to determine whether chemical weapons had been used, not who used them. | It appeared to be the first time that the scientist, Ake Sellstrom, had publicly expressed an opinion about which side was to blame. His panel’s assignment was to determine whether chemical weapons had been used, not who used them. |
| “Several times I asked the government: Can you explain — if this was the opposition — how did they get hold of the chemical weapons?” Dr. Sellstrom said in the interview with CBRNe World, a specialty magazine for professionals in disaster planning. | |
| “They have quite poor theories: They talk about smuggling through Turkey, labs in Iraq and I asked them, pointedly, what about your own stores, have your own stores been stripped of anything, have you dropped a bomb that has been claimed, bombs that can be recovered by the opposition?” he said. | |
| “They denied that. To me it is strange. If they really want to blame the opposition, they should have a good story as to how they got hold of the munitions, and they didn’t take the chance to deliver that story.” | “They denied that. To me it is strange. If they really want to blame the opposition, they should have a good story as to how they got hold of the munitions, and they didn’t take the chance to deliver that story.” |