20/09/2013 18:38
Syria 'submits chemical arms data'
Syria has begun sending details of its chemical weapons as part of a US-Russia brokered deal to make them safe, the chemical arms watchdog has said, according to the BBC.
The Hague-based OPCW added that it expected more details from Syria in the coming days and had postponed a meeting planned for Sunday.
Syria was given a Saturday deadline to give a full list of its chemical arms.
Michael Luhan, a spokesman for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is responsible for policing the treaty outlawing chemical arms, said Syria's submission was an "initial declaration."
Mr Luhan said it was now being examined by the organisation's technical secretariat but he declined to say what was in it.
A UN diplomat confirmed to Reuters that details had been submitted, adding: "It's quite long... and being translated."
The US-Russia-brokered deal aims to have inspectors on the ground in Syria in November, when they will make an initial assessment and oversee the destruction of certain equipment.
The destruction of all of Syria's chemical weapons would then be completed by mid-2014.
The core members of the OPCW were expected to vote on the timetable next week.
However, the OPCW said in a statement on Friday that a meeting of its executive council scheduled for Sunday had been postponed, without giving a reason.
"We will announce the new date and time... as soon as possible," it said.