Since achieving independence, Syria has worked on developing its industrial capacity and enhancing the value of its extractive industries such as mining and oil production. In 1959, Syria opened its first oil refinery in the city of Homs and since then it has built a second refinery in the coastal town of Banias.[1] Since the 1980s, Syria has seen significant industrial growth with a concomitant expansion in its demand for bulk chemicals. Industries making use of imported and domestically produced chemicals include oil refining, phosphate mining, cement production, textile production and dying, and the production of agricultural chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Syria continues to expand its chemical industry with one recent project being the construction of Syria's first chlor-alkali plant in Aleppo, which was approved in 2001.[2]

Syria is capable of producing some precursor chemicals used for the production of blister and nerve agents. However, there are limitations on Syria's chemical capabilities that require it to continue to import some precursors.

Syria has two operating oil refineries that produce for export and the domestic market. As part of their normal operations, these facilities generate a number of products of use to a CW program including, though not limited to, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, methanol, ethylene, and sulfur.[3] Syria is the world's fifth-largest exporter of phosphate rock, producing more than 2.5 million tons per year, over 70 percent of which is exported.[4] Much of this production is converted into phosphate fertilizers or phosphoric acids. In addition to phosphate fertilizers, Syria also produces ammonia, urea, and such nitrogenous fertilizers as ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate for domestic consumption.[5] The sulfur plant operated in association with the Homs oil refinery has a production capacity of 150 tons per day. Syria converts a portion of its sulfur production into sulfuric acid, the consumption of which amounted to 318,000 tons in 2000. About 78 percent of Syria's sulfuric acid was consumed in the manufacture of fertilizers. Despite its large fertilizer industry, Syria still must import over 500,000 tons of fertilizer every year.[6]

Phosphorus and sulfur are important for use in nerve agent production. Syria may divert some of its production to support its CW programs although there are no clear indications that this is the case.

Syrian industry provides a number of opportunities for the legitimate import of chemicals that may be diverted to the production of CW agents. While there are restrictions on Syrian imports due to the impact of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Australia Group, it is still able to legitimately obtain some restricted chemicals required for its industries from Western and Asian suppliers.[7] In addition, it should be noted that not all states are capable of rigorously monitoring or enforcing export controls.

In the past, Syria has imported trimethyl phosphite, which can be used as a nerve agent precursor, from India. Syrian sources stated the imports were needed for the production of pesticides. Syria may import large quantities of triethanolamine, which is needed for its oil refining and cement production industries. Syria processes approximately 11 million tons of crude oil and produces over 5 million tons of cement per year.[8] This chemical could be diverted to the production of nitrogen mustard blister agents.

Available evidence suggests that Syria uses its existing industrial infrastructure to produce some bulk precursors for its CW program. Requirements for more than those precursors that are too difficult to produce domestically continue to be met through imports from Asian and European suppliers, despite the existence of export controls aimed at restricting such activity. This import effort is simplified by the legitimate needs of Syrian industry, which can provide a front for precursor imports that will later be diverted to use in the CW program. Apart from using some of its chemical facilities to produce bulk precursors and as covers for the import of other dual-use compounds, it appears that Syria maintains a separate network of facilities for the actual production of CW agents. The existence of this separate network means that firm conclusions about the capabilities of the Syrian CW program may be difficult to formulate by examining at the state of development of Syrian civilian industries.

Sources:
[1] The General Company of Homs Refinery, <http://www.mopmr-sy.org/homs_ref.htm>.
[2] Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, <http://www.icd-idb.org/Syrian.htm>.
[3] "Middle East, CW Production Site," Jane's Intelligence Review 10 (April 1998), p. 25, <http://www.janes.com>.
[4] Thomas R. Yager, "The mineral industries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria," U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook—2001, p. 38.5, <http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/jolesymyb01.pdf>.
[5] Thomas R. Yager, "The mineral industries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria," U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook—2001, p. 38.4, <http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/jolesymyb01.pdf>.
[6] Thomas R. Yager, "The mineral industries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria," U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook—2001, p. 38.5, <http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/jolesymyb01.pdf>.
[7] Douglas Davis, "UK said to have sold chemical, night vision equipment to Syria," The Jerusalem Post, 7 April 2003, p. 7.
[8] Thomas R. Yager, "The mineral industries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria," U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook—2001, p. 38.4, <http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/jolesymyb01.pdf>.

	Updated November 2003