US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has voiced concern over Syria's delay in handing over its chemical weapons
arsenal and pressed Damascus to solve the problem.
"I do not know what the Syrian government's motives are - if this is incompetence - or why they are behind in delivering these materials," Hagel told reporters in Warsaw, adding that "they need to fix this".
The world's chemical watchdog said on Wednesday that Damascus had handed over less than five per cent of the most dangerous chemicals in its armoury.
Just two shipments of around 16 metric tonnes each of so-called Category 1 chemicals have left Syria's port of Latakia this month as part of an internationally backed disarmament plan supervised by the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
"The United States is concerned that the Syrian government is behind in delivering the chemical weapons on time," Hagel said, speaking alongside Polish Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.
"The Syrian government has to take responsibility to respect the commitment that had been made."
Hagel said he raised the issue with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, asking him "to do what he could to influence the Syrian government".
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