The Pentagon has announced that an American massive ship will be sent to destroy Syriaâ„¢s chemical weapons later this week or early next week.
“We know that the transfer site will be in Italy, we just don’t know the port yet,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said on Monday.
He added that it will take Å“about two weeks” for the MV Cape Ray to arrive in Italy.
The vessel, which is outfitted with two hydrolysis systems that will destroy the chemicals at sea, completed its final round of sea trials this week.
The Syrian chemicals will be put on the US ship at an undisclosed port in Italy and then they will be neutralized with water and bleach in international waters.
Å“The Cape Ray will be prepared to wait until the chemical weapons are ready to be brought on board,” Warren was quoted as saying by Stars and Stripes.
The mission is part of a disarmament effort led by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Under a deal brokered last year, the Syrian government was obligated to remove its chemical weapons components by the end of 2013. The country’s ongoing unrest, logistical problems and bad weather delayed the process.
About 60 US defense contractors and specialists from the OPCW will be onboard to complete the task, which is expected to take 45 to 90 days.
American Navy ships will provide force protection during the Cape Rayâ„¢s mission.
Syria has been gripped by a deadly conflict for nearly three years.
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Source: Press TV