I've never doubted that Syria had chemical weapons. That's been the conclusion for decades. So maybe I forgot this 2012 news, but let's scratch one small victory from this deal:
On Monday, Syria's dictatorship reminded the world that it possesses weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi delivered the reminder in Arabic, then repeated it in English, in order to "clarify" Syria's intent for Western media and Western audiences.
"Any stocks of WMD," Makdissi said, "or any unconventional weapons that the Syrian Arab Republic possesses ... would never be used against the Syrian people during this crisis, in any circumstances, no matter how the crisis will evolve. ... All the stocks of these weapons ... are monitored and guarded by the Syrian Army. These weapons are meant to be used only and strictly in the event of external aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic."
I have few doubts that if Assad survives this rebellion that Assad will still have chemical weapons. Whether he keeps some secret or actually does give them all up and then builds new and improved chemical weapons, he'll have them. The key is the Assad regime. Remember, chemical weapons just sit there unless a murderous thug launches them at civilian targets.
The fate of the Baathist regime is the key objective. Admitting (again) that they have chemical weapons is just a means of surviving.
