Talk:Destruction of Syria's chemical weapons

form follows function: What is this article about?
The discussion on the proposed move is getting out of hand, as many (me included) have different views on the subject matter of this article. We need to get this out of the way, before we can discuss naming. I'll set the background I see a few options: Please give your input in this section regarding the subject matter; that should focus the discussion of the naming.. L.tak (talk) 20:06, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
 * There is an article already on the UN Security Council resolution
 * This article started specifically focussing on the US-RU Framework, but then started covering the 2 other agreements; and it's possible it'll start covering also the inspection and (if existent) the destruction process
 * There is an article on the Syrian war
 * 1) this article goes back to covering the US-RU Framework and we rewrite to focus on that. Consequence: We'll need an extra article for teh actions regarding the anticipated inspection and destruction process
 * 2) We accept this article will cover the whole lot: from agreements to inspection and destruction: that means we have to change the name
 * 3) This page covers the diplomatic efforts: thus only the agreements, but not the inspection and destruction activities
 * I think your (?) original idea, to call this Elimination of Syria's chemical weapons, is most in accord with what I thought we were doing, and I withdraw any criticism I had of that. That is implied, for example, by the implementation section. Frankly, the original Framework is a small and increasingly smaller part of the story: the process from first negotiation to final destruction needs an article.Haberstr (talk) 20:54, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
 * Or we could call it 2013-2014 Elimination of Syria's chemical weapons, since the UN Resolution and the other agreements have set those time limits. If the elimination is unsuccessful, we could change the title later.
 * I there's consensus on "We accept this article will cover the whole lot: from agreements to inspection and destruction". The current title, or "Elimination of Syrian chemical weapons", or "Disarmament of Syria" (analogous Disarmament of Libya, any of those are fine with me. Rolf H Nelson (talk) 05:05, 1 October 2013 (UTC)
 * At risk of offending someone, I'll mention that "Destruction of Syria's chemical weapons" (in quotes) has 7.2 million hits on Google, while "Elimination of Syria's chemical weapons" has only about 150,000.Haberstr (talk) 07:28, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

Apologies for archiving so much useful discussion
The problem is that only one 'request a move' box is allowed on each talk page. And it seems that we're getting very close to that stage.Haberstr (talk) 07:10, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the proposal was moved by Haberstr. --BDD (talk) 21:49, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Agreement to eliminate Syria& → Destruction of Syria's chemical weapons – 'Agreement to' is overly restrictive, considering that the actual topic is the entire process from first negotiations to actual destruction/elimination of chemical weapons. Regarding 'Destruction' vs. 'Elimination', the first full name in quotes gets 4,800 hits on Google News, while the second receives 2,000. On the general Google, the numbers are 7.2 million vs. 150,000. Nonetheless, let's discuss the two leading options and any other ideas people have. See also WP:UCN, WP:COMMONNAME, WP:PRECISION, WP:PRECISE, and WP:CONCISE. Regarding duplication, editors should feel free to create articles on the Secy Council resolution and/or the 'Framework', but this article's concept is to be an 'A to Z' entry, analogous to Disarmament of Libya. Finally, I apologize for rushing the previous name change and will not do so this time. Haberstr (talk) 08:00, 1 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Per my post on the previous move request, I think such renaming would be premature.  For the time being, we only have an agreement to eliminate Syria's CW.  No actual destruction has taken place.  I think there needs to be significant progress on actual destruction before the name is changed.  I also think "eliminate" is the more accurate term, since that may come either by destruction in country or by removal from the country pending destruction. NPguy (talk) 03:22, 2 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Destruction is the end goal of the process, whether it occurs in Syria or not, so I don't see a problem there. The destruction process began on October 1, it is one of the top news stories in the world, and Wikipedia appears not to have an entry about that topic. It only has articles on 'agreements', which give the appearance of not being about the actual doing. Finally, as L.tak has pointed out (on the archived talk page), there is an article on Accession of Turkey to the European Union, which has not happened yet if ever, and articles on 'destruction of U.S. chemical weapons' and 'elimination of Russia's chem weapons', neither of which has concluded.Haberstr (talk) 05:54, 2 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Now that the destruction has begun I change my vote to support. Once all chemical weapons are either destroyed or removed from Syria, I would recommend a further name change from "destruction" to "elimination." NPguy (talk) 15:36, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Support, as it will lead to two articles: one on the framework, where other stuff is put in that context; and one on the whole process as a whole. I have indeed no problems with indicating the end-goal as an article title (the L.tak (talk) 08:23, 2 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Until some destruction or elimination actually happens, the agreement is all there is. bd2412  T 15:46, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Just to clarify: what would you like this page to be about? The UN security council resolution, The Decision of OPCW, or the Framework of the US/RU, or the process as a whole? Whatever we choose: the status quo is terribly imprecise; and that is a bit embarrassing to be honest… L.tak (talk) 10:50, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
 * One article should be enough. I see no need for a separate article on the Framework or the OPCW decisions, although the UN resolution already has its own article. NPguy (talk) 00:11, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Actual destruction has not taken place, but it is set to begin this week, October 6-12. What cries out to me is that the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons is one of the world's biggest news stories and there is no Wikipedia entry on it. We of course don't know whether the effort will be successful. As stated earlier, there are incomplete and unsuccessful efforts similarly labeled in Wikipedia to the proposed name for this article.86.36.66.129 (talk) 07:09, 6 October 2013 (UTC)

What I gather from the preceding is that there is consensus for a name change IF/when destruction has begun. It has begun, so I'll rename the article. I agree, though I wouldn't fight them, that there do not need to be separate articles on the OPCW Decision or the US/Russian Framework.Haberstr (talk) 09:25, 8 October 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Synthesis
Severe synthesis problem with the following:
 * ''Allegations of undisclosed sites
 * Syria has disclosed 19 chemical weapons-related sites, but Western intelligence sources state that 45 sites exist in total. Chemical weapons expert Gwyn Winfield commented that the success of the destruction plan depends on Syria revealing all of its chemical arms stockpile, much of which is moveable and may be spread across dozens of sites. Winfield added that Syria has an incentive to hold onto some of its chemical weapons, since its original incentive for developing a chemical weapons capability, as a deterrent against a suspected Israeli nuclear weapons arsenal, "isn't going to go away." ''

The "45 sites" claim is from 10 Sep, which precedes any Syrian disclosure. The "19 sites" claim is from... where? Not clear. But the "might not disclose" claims are also from 10 Sep - there's no concrete allegation of non-disclosure, and with the stuff being mobile and moved around, 19 being less than 45 isn't prima facie proof of it even if the prior 45 claim is accepted as correct. So I've removed this section, putting the 10 Sep info in the previous section. Where is the "19 sites" claim from?? Podiaebba (talk) 03:40, 21 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Direct quote from the Economist article: "While the OPCW does not go into details, the Syrians have mentioned 19 chemical weapons-related sites—far fewer than the 45 that Western intelligence agencies believe to exist." Article date is Oct 5. Maybe you were looking at the wrong article? Rolf H Nelson (talk) 03:55, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Hm, confusion caused by the synthesis (using 10 Sep comments as if they relate to Oct OPCW disclosures). Restored Economist's 19-sites claim (this info is not public, AFAIK, so not verifiable from OPCW). Podiaebba (talk) 12:02, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure what you mean by the confusion, but it appears to be a moot point. Thank you for restoring the claim. Rolf H Nelson (talk) 03:21, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Confusion: I missed the October Economist article completely when I was reading the para, because of the way the 10 Sep article material which was the bulk of the para was tacked on afterwards (as the most recent material normally would be). Podiaebba (talk) 07:59, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * If there is a synthesis problem, it's the implication that Winfield's comment was related to the sources for the first sentence. I hope that has been fixed by my moving around of things in that section today.Haberstr (talk) 07:34, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Implementation difficulties and ceasefires
It's not a big deal to me, but IMHO this paragraph doesn't belong in "Implementation challenges":

"On 12 October, Asharq Al-Awsat (a Saudi-linked pan-Arab newspaper) reported upon an exclusive interview with "FSA media and political coordinator Louay Miqdad" that "the FSA rejected a prolonged 9-month ceasefire with the Assad regime in order to allow the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to carry out its operations overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile."[50]"

The cited article doesn't indicate that this will create an "implementation challenge", as the paper makes clear the rebels are open to short-term ceasefires as needed, but that they don't think a 9-month general ceasefire is necessary at this time, since none of the Syrian chemical weapons plants are on the front lines where battles are taking place. If another article does draw the connection that it's an implementation challenge, then it would be appropriate for this section. Rolf H Nelson (talk) 03:48, 22 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Safe access to the CW stocks is self-evidently an implementation challenge - are you expecting sources to respect Wikipedia section headings?? However it's true that the paragraph doesn't accurately portray the FSA position as given in the article. I've clarified it quickly, but the result is clunky and can be edited. Podiaebba (talk) 11:51, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * This is easy to solve with a transitional phrase that reminds readers that the ongoing civil war is a 'challenge', obviously.Haberstr (talk) 06:13, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
 * This not not so easy because even the term "civil war" itself is biased, at the least in regards to foreign fighters taking part (how can foreign fighters partake in a civil war? as mercenaries? What if their number outnumbers the "regular" amount of fighters? Who is the authority to make up to decide on this anyway? And so on and so forth). 2A02:8388:1600:A880:BE5F:F4FF:FECD:7CB2 (talk) 07:44, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Subdividing 'implementation challenges' subsection is a good idea
I have created one sub-subsection, on 'alleged undisclosed sites', but more could be constructed. For user-friendleness's sake we shouldn't go backwards to a very long subsection not subdivided.Haberstr (talk) 07:29, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

pls cite news, not cite web, where appropriate
If there's no objections, we should standardize moving forward on "cite news newspaper=" rather than the more general "cite web work=" for citing newspaper web pages, as the two citations are formatted differently from one another in the citations section. Rolf H Nelson (talk) 04:32, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

State assistance and rejection section
Clearly 3rd party states have been approached for help in the disposal of the weapons. I believe there is a strong need in the article for these nations to be listed and have their pro and con views discussed as well as their ultimate decision to participate or decline. Doyna Yar (talk) 04:21, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Doyna Yar Can you contribute some sources? Rolf H Nelson (talk) 23:30, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately as of late I barely have the time to put my pants on in the morning, and surprisingly have managed not to miss that detail (yet). Anywho- there have been at least four nations contacted for assistance Albania, Norway, France, and Belgium with 'i think' 3 rejecting and Norway willing to assist though not on their territory. I believe some of that is here http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/belgium-candidate-destroy-syria-gas-20922242. It's been widely reported of Albania's refusal despite their own CW destruction program. And if I'm not mistaken, it's actually forbidden under the CWC for the weapons to be transferred to a CWC signatory nation. That means any destruction program outside Syria is definitely bending the CWC rules to say the least. The only non-CWC nation bordering Syria is Israel and nobody could hold their breath that long. And now I go to bed and start my cycle of hell all over again. Doyna Yar (talk) 04:34, 23 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Here's a source: . OPCW is tendering for private companies to destroy some chemicals, and it seems a seaborne destruction option is under consideration for actual CW. Podiaebba (talk) 07:23, 23 November 2013 (UTC)

a relevant article in the trade journal Chemistry World
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2014/05/syrian-chemical-weapons-feature – Kaihsu (talk) 16:54, 2 July 2014 (UTC) As the United States as well as Russia has missed a good opportunity. USA, - the military contribution to get (after the victory). The Russia - to secure his state loans. Now that, Maybe 100 years to wait until the funds for military - loans to Mr. Assad come back. Incidentally, the same as in Iraque. Reason for a military peacekeeping action was - the application of unkonventionele Chimi- weapons. As part of insurgents (modern Gaz - grenade on 18/08.2014) as well as by Assad - Armi, as a counter-attack with sarin outdated - rocket on 21/08/2014. Killing potential Chimi - Weapons are sufficient to whole Syria - to destroy population.Cigareta Kent (talk) 14:09, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

Linking to paywall-articles
There is a link towards haaretz, allegedly about an article where Syria still would have weapons of mass destruction. However had, the article is behind a paywall, that is, one has to login in order to read this. What is wikipedia's policy on that? Not everyone will be able to access and follow such a link, thus the information contained there is hidden. Is this a credible source behind any paywall in general (the above example for haaretz is only one example among many)? 2A02:8388:1600:A880:BE5F:F4FF:FECD:7CB2 (talk) 07:41, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

New details from the evacuation of the chemcal weapons
The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang with an article about the RECSYR mission:


 * Moorings prepped with explosives, for emergency departure.


 * Blackened out small boat headed for the ship, turned around when engaged with shock/stun grenades.


 * Rocket impacts at the harbour, while loading chemical weapons.


 * Chemicals leaking from the containers onboard the ship.

Article in Norwegian, with new pictures

Znuddel (talk) 08:46, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

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