Syria urged to step up efforts to ship chemical weapons

The ship's crew will conduct military drills at sea while waiting for
orders to proceed
The global chemical weapons watchdog has called on Syria to "intensify
its efforts" to help ship out its most dangerous chemical weapons.
A Norwegian frigate is ready to go to the Syrian port of Latakia to
collect the weapons for destruction.
The chemical watchdog said it was up to Syria to mitigate the risks
involved in transporting the stockpile to the port.
Syria agreed to abandon its arsenal to avert possible US military
action after a sarin nerve gas attack in August.
Under a deal brokered by the US and Russia, the complete elimination
of all chemical weapons material and equipment must be completed by
the first half of 2014.
The "most critical" chemicals include around 20 tons of the blister
agent sulphur mustard.
The arms are due to be taken to Italy, where they will be loaded on to
a US Navy ship and shipped into international waters for destruction
in a specially created titanium tank on board.