Watchdog says Syrian weapons destruction at sea possible

A spokesman for the global chemical weapons watchdog says destroying Syria’s stockpile of poison gas and nerve agents at sea is a possible alternative to finding a country willing to host the destruction.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) aims to destroy some 1,300 metric tons of Syrian toxic agents by mid-2014, but the plan was dealt a blow last week when Albania rejected a U.S. request to host destruction. Authorities in Belgium and Norway also have ruled those countries out as locations for the risky operation.

OPCW spokesman Christian Chartier said on Wednesday that the alternative of destruction at sea, on a boat or floating rig, is a “feasible” possibility.

Chartier said, “All options are on the table.” No further details have been released.