The Syrian government has faced criticism from the United States over delays in destroying their stockpile of chemical weapons.
Syria has already missed two deadlines in exporting its store of chemical weapons, with only 30 tonnes of an estimated 1,300 tonne stockpile having been removed from the country so far.
Speaking on the issue, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said,
“It’s time for the Assad government to stop its foot-dragging, establish a transportation plan, and stick to it.”
Her comments were echoed by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, who said he was "concerned" that the plan to destroy the chemical weapons was falling behind schedule, adding Syria "had to take responsibility for fulfilling its commitment".
The comments were slammed as Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad, who spoke to the BBC and labelled them "absolutely unjustified".
He went on to criticise US Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks on the Syrian governments use of ‘barrel bombs’, stating Kerry’s comments were, "absolutely unacceptable".
See his interview with the BBC here.