Syrian Chemical Weapons Agreement Faces Major Obstacles

Syria must disclose the complete details of its chemical weapons and related facilities by next Saturday, a critical test of whether President Bashar al-Assad will comply with the U.S.-Russian accord on finding, securing and eliminating his toxic armaments.

The plan agreed upon by Russia and the U.S. is to follow a “tightly fixed schedule” that envisions international monitors taking control of Syria’s chemical weapons until they can be destroyed or removed from the country by mid-2014, a timetable that will be difficult to meet even if Assad’s regime cooperates.