Cash Prize Seen Hinting at U.S. Push for Syrian Chem Disposal Plan

The United States might secretly be offering $50,000 for a new method of destroying roughly the quantity of chemical arms thought to be held in Syria, Foreign Policy magazine reported on Tuesday.

An unidentified "seeker" offered the prize in May for original concepts aimed at achieving the "demilitarization, destruction or neutralization of a hypothetical stockpile of chemical warfare agents." Any equipment involved must fit on a type of Boeing-manufactured military transport jet used by Washington and a number of other governments.

The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency has issued a similarly worded solicitation, and both calls have deadlines of July 24.

Meanwhile, British firms might have supplied Syria with sodium fluoride, a possible chemical arms precursor with peaceful applications, according to a legislative assessment issued on Tuesday and reported by Sky News.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the United Kingdom had yet to decide for or against sending weapons to Syrian opposition forces, the London Telegraph reported on Tuesday.