Norwegian-Danish flotilla on standby for escort mission
The Commander of the flotilla, which will assist in the transportation of Syria's chemical stockpile for destruction, says they are ready to carry out their mission. The Syrian government missed the December 31st deadline for the removal of its deadly toxins from the country.
"We are going out again tomorrow, completely as planned, and when we are going to be activated I don’t know. But we are ready and we will be in a short notice to do whatever is requested in the port of Latakia." Commodore Torben Mikkelsen with Norwegian-Danish Marine Task Force said.
Last month, the joint Norwegian-Danish marine task force sailed to the Mediterranean port of Latakia, but returned to Cyprus after the delay. The delay was caused by security concerns, bureaucracy, bad weather and a complex multinational procurement effort for equipment. The disarmament deal was proposed by Russia. It was worked out with the US, after an August 21st sarin gas attack that Western nations blamed on President Al-Assad’s forces.
