Russia satisfied with process of destruction of Syrian chemical weapons

MOSCOW - Moscow is satisfied with the prompt start of Syria's chemical weapons disarmament, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Beginning of the works on dismantling chemical weapons in Syria in the shortest time possible and with no delay gives ground to state with satisfaction that the Syrian government has been strictly adhering to the obligations it has taken after Damascus made a decision about fast-track joining the convention on prohibition of chemical weapons," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

On Sunday, Syrian authorities started destroying chemical weapons under the supervision of inspectors from the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations.

These works have been approved by the UN Security Council resolution 2118 and the OPCW decision made on September 27.

Lukashevich said equipment for chemical weapons production and unloaded ammunition "are being brought to an irreversibly inoperative condition."

Russia warned that success of the works depends not solely on the Syrian government, and called the parties able to influence the armed opposition to provide security to the mission of monitoring and destruction of chemical weapons.

The experts arrived in Syria last Tuesday and met with Syrian Foreign Ministry officials before they started their ground work to find and dismantle an estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal in the country.

The UNSC said the OPCW will help Syria destroy its chemical weapons by mid-2014.