Inspectors find undeclared sarin, VX gas traces in Syria

[geek tragedy]

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.655599

International inspectors have found traces of sarin and VX nerve agent at a military research site in Syria that had not been declared to the global chemical weapons watchdog, diplomatic sources said on Friday.

Samples taken by experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition and Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in December and January tested positive for chemical precursors needed to make the toxic agents, the sources told Reuters on the condition of anonymity because the information is confidential.

"This is a pretty strong indication they have been lying about what they did with sarin," one diplomatic source said. "They have so far been unable to give a satisfactory explanation about this finding."

...

The diplomatic sources said the sarin and VX nerve samples were taken from the Scientific Studies and Research Centre, a government agency where Western intelligence agencies say Syria developed biological and chemical weapons.


Read more: Haaretz (Reuters)

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Looks like the Assad regime is deploying chemical weapons AGAIN as a desperation measure. The evil of this government gets overlooked by the evil of its ISIS antagonists.

[Mosby]

1. Do you think the US should do anything other than a UNSC resolution?

[geek tragedy]

2. I do not have any answers to an intractable problem. nt

[jakeXT]

3. What precursors and how much ?

There are 63 chemicals on the CWC Schedule One and Two list, but only a handful are immediate precursor chemicals that can be stored in the form of binary weapons. The only compound on the immediate precursor Schedule One list that has widespread legitimate use outside of weapons production is EMPTA, used in the manufacture of nylon and various pharmaceuticals.


...

The actual CWC stipulates: “These (Schedule One) chemicals are subject to very stringent restrictions, including a ceiling on the production of one tonne per annum per State Party, a ceiling on total possession at any given time of one tonne per State Party, licensing requirements, and restrictions on transfers.” (In other words, even a country that signs the CWC can manufacture and maintain up to a ton of each of the Schedule One chemicals before being officially considered in violation of the treaty.)

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/obama-chemical-weapons-opinion-96060.html

[Blue_Tires]

4. Paging Seymour Hersh...

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Are we supposed to believe Assad is letting OPCW inspect his secret chemical weappons stashes?

Something doesn't quite ring true here.

If it's an undeclared site, why are the inspectors there? Assad just let them in to find his secrets?

Did they find "traces of sarin and VX nerve agent" or did they find "chemical precursors"?

And nice use of of the unidentified "diplomatic source." I'm sure it was somebody with no ax to grind. Israeli? American?

That said, it does appear the regime is using chlorine in some of its barrel bombs.