Originally published on January 8, 2014<br /><br />Syria has begun removing chemical weapons from its territory as part of an internationally backed disarmament program spearheaded by Russia and the United States but until now delayed by war.<br /><br />Syrian authorities removed the first batch of chemical weapons from two sites among many scattered across the country.<br /><br />A total of nine barrels of material were moved onto Russian-supplied armoured trucks. The U.S. supplied container drums and GPS locators to enhance security for the sensitive cargo.<br /><br />A convoy of Russian trucks and Syrian security forces moved overland to the port of Latakia where the material was loaded onto a Danish cargo vessel, which set sail for an undisclosed port in Italy. <br /><br />There the cargo was moved to the U.S. vessel MV Cape Ray, which then sailed to open water in the Mediterranean where the chemical agents were destroyed.<br /><br />China supplied ambulances, and Finland sent an emergency response team for added security were anything go wrong during the move.<br /><br />Reuters reported on Tuesday that: "Syria agreed to abandon its chemical weapons by June under a deal proposed by Russia and agreed with the United States after an August 21 sarin gas attack that Western nations blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Damascus blames rebels for the attack.<br /><br />The report continues: <br /><br />War, bad weather, bureaucracy and technical issues meant a December 31 deadline for the removal of the most deadly toxins from Syria was missed.<br /><br />The OPCW did not disclose what percentage of Syria's toxic arsenal — which totals 1,300 tons in all — had been removed but said nine containers of the most dangerous chemical materials were on the Danish cargo vessel.<br /><br />"The vessel has been accompanied by naval escorts provided by Denmark and Norway, as well as the Syrian Arab Republic," a statement said. "It will remain at sea awaiting the arrival of additional priority chemical materials at the port."<br /><br />Maritime security was being provided by Chinese, Da
