The destruction of Syria's chemical weapons has
begun, international monitors have said.
The operation is being overseen by a team from the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW).
The mission was established under a United Nations
resolution, which was passed after agreement between
Russia and the US.
The resolution followed international outrage at a
chemical weapons attack near Damascus in August.
In an interim report, UN chemical weapons inspectors
confirmed that the nerve agent sarin had been used in
the attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of the city on
August 21.
It was estimated to have killed hundreds of people and
was blamed by the United States and other Western
powers on the regime of Bashar al-Assad. But he
accuses Syrian rebels of being behind it.
It was not clear at which of the chemical weapons sites
declared by the government, thought to number about
20, that Sunday's operation took place.
An official on the joint OPCW-UN delegation later said:
"The first day of destruction and disabling is over and
missile warheads, aerial bombs, along with mobile and
static mixing and filling units, were dealt with. Work
continues tomorrow and in the next few days."
The destruction of the stockpile, being carried out by
the Syrians, is not expected to be straightforward, as
some sites are in combat zones.
It is the first time the OPCW - based in The Hague - has
been asked to oversee the destruction of a chemical
weapons armoury during a conflict.
The Syrian government gave details of its chemical
weapons arsenal last month to the OPCW under the
Russia-US agreement which also provided for
Damascus to join the Chemical Weapons Convention.
That arsenal is thought to include more than 1,000
tonnes of sarin and the blister agent sulphur mustard
among other banned chemicals.
Peace conference
Under the terms of the agreement between the US and
Russia Syria's chemical weapons capability should be
removed by the middle of 2014.
The speed with which the team has been able to reach
the sites and start the process of destruction underlines
the urgency of the mission, says the BBC's Anna
Holligan in the Hague.
It was hoped that the new climate of co-operation
would help bring about a wider conference in Geneva
on ending the Syrian conflict.
UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was
quoted on French media on Sunday as saying he was
encouraging all parties to come to Geneva in the
second half of November but that peace talks were not
a certainty.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has meanwhile
suggested Germany could mediate to try to end the 30-
month-long civil war.
Speaking to Germany's Der Spiegel magazine in an
interview to be published on Monday, Mr Assad said he
"would be delighted if envoys came from Germany".
But he stressed that Damascus would not negotiate
with rebels unless they laid down their weapons.
Mr Assad again repeated his denial that his troops had
used chemical weapons, blaming the rebels instead.
More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising
began in 2011 and millions more have fled Syria.
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