AP: THE HAGUE: The international chemical weapons watchdog is meeting to discuss slow progress in its mission to destroy Syria's poison gas and nerve agent program.

In a note prepared last week for Thursday's behind-closed-doors meeting of the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu says he spoke to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Jan. 18 "and they both agreed that it was necessary for the removal process to pick up pace."

Under a timeline drawn up last year, the most toxic chemicals in Syria's 1,300-metric-ton stockpile were to have been removed from the country by Dec. 31, but that deadline was missed due to poor security in war-torn Syria and other factors.

So far, just two small consignments of chemicals have been shipped out.