VP/HR — Destruction and disposal of Syria's chemical weapons in the Mediterranean
4.2.2014
Question for written answer P-001097-14
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)
Rule 117
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE)
There is great anxiety in Greece and other Mediterranean countries about the environmental consequences of the methods to be used for destroying and disposing of Syria’s chemical weapons in the Mediterranean.
On 9 January 2014, the merchant vessel ‘Ark Futura’ sailed from the Syrian port of Latakia bound for Italy, carrying the first nine containers of chemical weapons; it was escorted by Russian and Chinese warships. The aim is to transfer them to the US Navy vessel ‘MV Cape Ray’ and to destroy them at sea, in international waters, by 31 March 2014.
In view of the above, will the VP/HR say:
- 1.What information does she have about the fate of this cargo and the rest of the cargo from Syria’s large chemical weapons arsenal?
- 2.Apart from Germany, which has announced, through its Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, that it would destroy 350 tonnes of chemical residues, which other countries are involved in this operation and how?
- 3.What action is she taking, in cooperation with the EEAS and Member States, to ensure the transparency of such decisions and the safety of the Mediterranean and its inhabitants and to prevent the use of any harmful methods in destroying these chemical weapons?
OJ C 353, 07/10/2014