First step in Syria's plan to dismantle chemical weapons
(B2) Syria did submit the "Initial Declaration" of its chemical weapons program on Thursday (October 24) as required by its obligations, the OPCW confirmed today. This formality makes it possible to establish plans for the systematic, complete and verified destruction of declared chemical weapons as well as production and assembly facilities. It includes a general destruction plan submitted for review by the OPCW Executive Council. A first monthly report from the OPCW Director General on the joint OPCW-UN mission was also submitted to Member States and sent to the UN Security Council via the UN Secretary General, outlining the progress made since the forward mission deployment.