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LequteMan
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International disarmament experts are to begin cataloguing Syria's vast arsenal of chemical weapons Wednesday, checking a list of sites provided by Damascus and conducting on the spot tests ahead of its destruction. The disarmament team includes 14 UN staffers and19 inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The UN resolution ordering the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons came after the United States threatened military action, accusing Assad's forces of deliberately killing hundreds of civilians with rocket-delivered nerve agents.
"In the coming days, their efforts are expected to focus on verifying information provided by the Syrian authorities and the initial planning phase of helping the country destroy its chemical weapons production facilities," a UN statement said, adding that the task should be completed by November 1.
According to Hindustan times, the task is a huge one as Syria's arsenal is believed to include more than 1,000 tonnes of sarin, mustard gas and other banned chemicals stored at an estimated 45 sites across the country.
The mission is the first in OPCW history to take place in a country wracked by civil war.
A team of UN experts hope to present a final report by late October, after an initial one in September confirmed sarin was used in the August 21 attacks.
