07/10/2013 10:56
US credits Syria's Assad over chemical weapons destruction
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime deserves credit for complying with a chemical weapons deal, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said, according to the BBC.
He was speaking after international monitors said the destruction of Syria's stockpile had begun.
The mission was established under a UN resolution, which was passed after a deal between Russia and the US.
The resolution followed international outrage at a chemical weapons attack near Damascus in August.
"The process has begun in record time and we are appreciative for the Russian co-operation and obviously for the Syrian compliance," Mr Kerry said after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Indonesia.
"I think it's extremely significant that yesterday, Sunday, within a week of the (UN) resolution being passed, some chemical weapons were being destroyed.
"I think it's a credit to the Assad regime, frankly. It's a good beginning and we welcome a good beginning," Mr Kerry added.
The destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal is being overseen by a team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
That arsenal is thought to include more than 1,000 tonnes of sarin and the blister agent sulphur mustard among other banned chemicals.