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Syria, which pledged in September to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile under international supervision, has reportedly only gotten rid of less than five percent of the ammunition, flouting an upcoming deadline for removal of all chemical arms.

According to Reuters, sources confirmed that the government has only shipped out 4.1 percent of its stock to a Northern Syrian Port. "It's not enough and there's no sign of more," someone with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

In order to avoid what seemed to be inevitable military action against Syria, led by the U.S., the Syrian government agreed to an off-the-cuff deal proposed by John Kerry: Washington would not act against Syria if the country agreed to totally destroy its chemical stockpile. The agreement followed a period of intense global anger towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, which many suspect was behind a nerve gas attack that killed more than 1,000 Syrian civilians. The news that Syria is now 6-8 weeks behind on its chemical weapons schedule comes as the much-delayed Geneva II talks are underway — and don't seem to be making much progress.

Last week, Reuters reported that Western governments are frustrated with Syria for dragging its feet on the process, and are growing concerned because the process is taking so much longer than promised:

Several foreign governments funding and assisting the process had expected more shipments would have already been made, the sources said, and frustration is growing."It's starting to become a problem and they are at risk of being reported (to the United Nations) for non-compliance," one source involved in the discussions told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

If Syria fails to complete the arms destruction as promised, it could be hit with sanctions from the international community. So why is it taking so long for Assad to follow through on his promise? Here are a few theories: