The Obama administration publicly blamed the Syrian government for delays in destroying its chemical arms stockpiles this week, calling upon President Bashar al-Assads regime to take immediate action ahead of a second major deadline. In a statement to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), US ambassador Robert Mikulak accused Syria of delaying the process for unwarranted reasons, suggesting that the government is stalling as a ploy to gain leverage in negotiations. An agreement reached last year requires Syria to remove and destroy its entire chemical arsenal by June 30th. The OPCW is overseeing the process, which was enacted under an agreement that narrowly avoided a US military strike against the Assad regime.
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