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Syrian WMD: Counter-Proliferation Contingency Planning Needed
(Heritage Foundation) James Phillips and James Jay Carafano - Syria's Baathist dictatorship developed and stockpiled a lethal arsenal of chemical weapons including blister agents such as mustard gas and even more dangerous nerve agents. U.S. officials believe that there are at least 50 chemical weapon production and storage facilities inside Syria. As the situation inside Syria deteriorates, there is a growing possibility that the regime could lose control over these facilities. Those initially at risk would probably be local populations exposed to the haphazard handling of hazardous materials. The most significant danger is that these materials might be removed from the country and fashioned into improvised explosive devices elsewhere. Washington should make it clear to all Syrian opposition groups that they will be held responsible for any chemical weapons, radioactive materials, or shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles that fall into their hands. They should know that they will be rewarded if they turn these over to the U.S. or allied governments and punished if they retain them or pass them on to terrorists. The U.S., its allies, and the "Friends of Syria" contact group should establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism to monitor Syrian WMD sites and track the movement of loose weapons in an effort to intercept them before they can be transferred to terrorist groups. James Phillips is a Senior Research Fellow and James Jay Carafano is Deputy Director of the Davis Institute for International Studies and Director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.