Warnings of a Syrian Chemical Weapons Delay

Citing “technical difficulties,” the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says the transport of Syria’s chemical weapons cache could take a few days longer than its first deadline.

“A roadmap that was adopted earlier this month by the OPCW to remove Syria’s chemical stockpile says ‘priority’ weapons have to be removed from the country by Dec. 31,” reports al-Arabiya, with the AFP.

“’This may not be possible perhaps because of the technical issues that we have encountered,’ OPCW director Ahmet Uzumcu said on arrival in Oslo, where he will on Tuesday receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of his organization. ‘But … a few days delay wouldn’t be much from my point of view.’

Despite the possible delay, Uzumcu said he was ‘confident that we will be able to meet the deadline of June 2014 to destroy all chemical weapons in Syria.’”

Syria Opposition Leader Will Visit Russia

The AFP reports that Syrian opposition leader Ahmad Jarba will visit Moscow after an invitation from Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad.

“The announcement comes as Russia and the United States drum up support for their joint initiative to get all parties to the Syrian conflict to join peace talks slated for Jan. 22 in Geneva.

“I have received an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Moscow, delivered by his deputy around 20 days ago,” Ahmad Jarba, head of the opposition National Coalition umbrella body, told Kuwait’s KUNA news agency.

“I have accepted the invitation [but] could not go [yet] because I was busy with other engagements. I will visit Russia to convince them that their interest lies with the Syrian people and not with the regime,” said Jarba.

To Revolutionaries, Assad Isn’t Looking So Bad After All

TIME’s Aryn Baker asserts that many revolutionaries, having seen their fight hijacked by Islamist groups, are rethinking their stance on Assad.

“Hundreds of activists have watched in desperation as the revolution they launched to overthrow the repressive regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatens to deliver their country into the hands of equally oppressive Islamist radicals determined to turn Syria into an Islamic caliphate,” she writes.

“A lot of former activists are now saying to me: When the choice is between [ISIS] and Assad, I am going for Assad,” Randa Slim, a Syria expert at the Washington–based Middle East Institute, tells Baker.

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team: 

Daily Beast: How the USA Lost Its Syrian Allies

The Guardian: Sydney Man Admits Making Syrian War Videos

AFP: 17 Children Paralyzed by Polio in Syria

AP: Army Takes Control of Town Near Key Highway

AFP: Jihadists Execute Man for Blasphemy