Press release by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations on the advance team in Syria

The advance team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations has made good progress in verifying the information submitted by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic on its chemical weapons programme. At the end of the first ten days of operations on the ground the verification teams have inspected three sites and plans are underway for further site visits.
 
A second group of OPCW inspectors and more UN support staff have arrived in Damascus, bringing to about 60 the number people on the advance team.
 
As OPCW has received initial and supplementary information from Syria on its chemical weapons programme, the advance team is now in the process of verifying that information.  It has also overseen the destruction by Syria of some of its munitions stockpile as well as some of its chemical weapons production equipment.