Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

US, Russia Agree On Plan To Dispose of Syria's Chemical Weapons

Posted by Soulskill on from the now-back-to-killing-people-with-regular-weapons dept.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has announced an agreement between the U.S. and Russia on a plan for removing and destroying Syria's chemical weapons. "Damascus will be given one week from now to give an inventory of its chemical arsenal and will have to allow international inspectors into Syria 'no later than November,' Kerry said after a third day of intense negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva." The weapons must all be eliminated by mid-2014. "If Syrian President Bashar Assad fails to meet the demands, then a resolution to enforce compliance would be sought at the U.N. Security Council, Kerry said. The action could include sanctions, and Kerry said that the U.S. would reserve the right to use military force, but Russia remains opposed to any armed intervention." President Obama said, "The use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world is an affront to human dignity and a threat to the security of people everywhere. We have a duty to preserve a world free from the fear of chemical weapons for our children."

3 of 256 comments (clear)

  1. I still want... by sjbe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...someone to explain to me why killing people with chemical weapons is somehow worse than killing them with bullets.

    1. Re:I still want... by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That is what the father of chemical warfare, Fritz Haber, thought as well.

      After the effects of chemical warfare became apparent during WWI, his wife and son committed suicide over the shame of their husband and father's work on poison gasses.

      One thing is certain, that poison gas is much harder to deliver in a controlled fashion than are bombs. Perhaps just on that basis it should be banned.

    2. Re:I still want... by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Chemical weapons still kill weeks or more after they have been deployed.

      Depends on the particular chemicals.

      VX can kill years after it's used if someone touches something that was exposed to VX and hasn't since had the residue washed away.

      Sarin, not so much.

      Mustard gas is just fertilizer after a few hours.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"