MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Russia, the United States, China, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Syria will hold a closed-door meeting in Moscow on Friday to discuss safe exportation of Syrian chemical weapons.
"The meeting will be a closed one, solely practical issues will be discussed there: the transportation will be held via the territorial waters of Syria. The Chinese and we have expressed readiness to ensure its safety and it is necessary to discuss how to organize the process so that any messes do not occur," director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department on security and disarmament, Mikhail Ulyanov, told Interfax on Wednesday.
The Russian delegation also comprises the deputy head of the nuclear, biological and chemical defense troops and representatives of the General Staff. It is expected that military chiefs of China and the U.S. and representatives of the OPCW and Syria will attend the meeting.
Russia is ready to ensure the sea safety of the loading the chemical weapons, Ulyanov said. The issue of sending "a safety-ensuring mission" has been discussed with Syria and UN Secretary-General Pan Ki-moon has been informed, the Russian diplomat said.
The original plan endorsed by the OPCW said the most dangerous substances (yperite and sarin and VX components) would be taken outside of Syria before the end of this year. But the OPCW had to admit that the mission could not be accomplished before December 31, 2013. Judging by the latest reports, the exportation of the Syrian weapons had been delayed until January. The plan says the exportation must be complete before February 5 and the chemical weapons must be scrapped before June 30, 2014.
The most dangerous substances will be disposed onboard a U.S. ship anchored in the Mediterranean, where the substances would be transported by Norwegian and Danish vessels from an Italian port.
However, the importance of secure transportation of the chemical weapons from Syria is mounting against the backdrop of the attempts of extremists to get hold of the arms. The media said on Thursday Syrian servicemen had deterred two attacks of the opposition forces against chemical arms depots. Fighters of the Al-Nusra Front and the Army of Islam were amongst the attackers.