New shipment of chemical weapons leave Syria

A new shipment of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons left its territory Wednesday, as a continued international effort to rid the war-torn country of its chemical arsenal, the UN confirmed in a statement.

"Today, a shipment of the Syrian Arab Republic's stockpile of sulphur mustard, commonly known as 'mustard gas' has left its territory," Xinhua quoted special coordinator for the joint mission of the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) , Sigrid Kaag, as saying Wednesday.

Kaag regarded the removal of the new shipment as "an important step in the elimination of the Syria's chemical weapons".

She said the UN-OPCW joint mission will complete removing the remaining chemical materials in a safe, secure and timely manner, through systematic, predictable and high-volume movements.

The UN Security Council Sep 27 unanimously adopted Resolution 2118. It decided to rid war-torn Syria of its chemical weapons. Under the resolution, the OPCW is mandated to oversee the elimination of Syria's chemical materials.

The UN-OPCW Joint Mission was formally established Oct 16. The mission aims to timely remove Syria's chemical arsenals in the safest and most secure manner possible.