Chlorine was used as a chemical weapon in attacks on villages in northern Syria, according to a report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have adopted a detailed plan for the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles by mid-2014
The recent use of chemical weapons in Syria and the agreement of the Syrian government to give up its chemical weapon stockpiles and production facilities have focused attention on how Syria acquired chemical weapons in the first place.
The OPCW has said that the Syrian government has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, rendering them inoperable.
The abduction, in northern Syria, of seven Red Cross workers is a stark reminder of how dangerous it is to work in that war-torn country, even for such an internationally recognised humanitarian organisation, even for people doing non-partisan work aimed at helping anyone who needs it.