Today is the deadline for removing and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons, but it’s pretty unlikely that goal will be met.  Many of the toxins that once made up President Bashar al-Assad’s arsenal have not been transported.

The Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad and a Danish warship that had been deployed to escort the dangerous cargo are off the coast of Cyprus, waiting for the go ahead to journey to Syria and pick up some of the world's most dangerous cargo. 

“We are still on high alert to go into Syria,” said Norwegian spokesman Lars Hovtun.  “We still don't know exactly when the orders will come.”

But fighting between government troops and rebels rages on, preventing the chemical transfer.

“Security, I think all parties agree, that this is of course a big concern, always, but it also impacts the safety of any convoy and the safety of any effort,” said Sigrid Kaag of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

For now, the US Government is not concerned with the delay.  The agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not call for eliminating all chemical weapons until the end of June.