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"OPCW has confirmed that it has received the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme," the organization announced on its website. "The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received."
The watchdog had announced Friday that the handover of information from the Syrian government was incomplete, but this claim was reversed by its Saturday statement.
The timeline for Syria's chemical weapons disarmament was set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who gave Syria until Saturday to reveal its full chemical arsenal. Syria is believed to possess approximately 1,000 tons of chemical weapons.
As Syria meets its first deadline, the U.S. and Russia remain sharply divided over key issues. The U.S. holds that the Syrian government was responsible for the August 21st Al-Ghouta chemical attacks, even though the recent UN confirming chemical weapons use did not determine culpability. Russian officials argue that it is still not clear who is responsible for the chemical attacks and claim there is evidence forces opposing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind them.
Furthermore, the US government insists on maintaining threat of force throughout the disarmament process. Russian officials stand opposed to the continued threats and against invoking the UN's Chapter VII resolution without evidence of Syrian noncompliance, arguing this would be disruptive to efforts to achieve a peaceful solution.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

"OPCW has confirmed that it has received the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme," the organization announced on its website. "The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received."
The watchdog had announced Friday that the handover of information from the Syrian government was incomplete, but this claim was reversed by its Saturday statement.
The timeline for Syria's chemical weapons disarmament was set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who gave Syria until Saturday to reveal its full chemical arsenal. Syria is believed to possess approximately 1,000 tons of chemical weapons.
As Syria meets its first deadline, the U.S. and Russia remain sharply divided over key issues. The U.S. holds that the Syrian government was responsible for the August 21st Al-Ghouta chemical attacks, even though the recent UN confirming chemical weapons use did not determine culpability. Russian officials argue that it is still not clear who is responsible for the chemical attacks and claim there is evidence forces opposing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind them.
Furthermore, the US government insists on maintaining threat of force throughout the disarmament process. Russian officials stand opposed to the continued threats and against invoking the UN's Chapter VII resolution without evidence of Syrian noncompliance, arguing this would be disruptive to efforts to achieve a peaceful solution.
_____________________

"OPCW has confirmed that it has received the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme," the organization announced on its website. "The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received."
The watchdog had announced Friday that the handover of information from the Syrian government was incomplete, but this claim was reversed by its Saturday statement.
The timeline for Syria's chemical weapons disarmament was set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who gave Syria until Saturday to reveal its full chemical arsenal. Syria is believed to possess approximately 1,000 tons of chemical weapons.
As Syria meets its first deadline, the U.S. and Russia remain sharply divided over key issues. The U.S. holds that the Syrian government was responsible for the August 21st Al-Ghouta chemical attacks, even though the recent UN confirming chemical weapons use did not determine culpability. Russian officials argue that it is still not clear who is responsible for the chemical attacks and claim there is evidence forces opposing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind them.
Furthermore, the US government insists on maintaining threat of force throughout the disarmament process. Russian officials stand opposed to the continued threats and against invoking the UN's Chapter VII resolution without evidence of Syrian noncompliance, arguing this would be disruptive to efforts to achieve a peaceful solution.
_____________________