12 chemical weapons experts arrive in Syria

Twelve more chemical weapons experts have arrived in Syria, bringing the total number of inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to 27, an official said Thursday.

A temporary ceasefire in Syria will permit the experts to carry out their work quickly, said Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the OPCW, at a press conference in The Hague.

The deadline for destroying the chemical weapons is "extremely tight" and there have been significant logistical and security challenges involved in it, reports Xinhua.

"I think elimination of those weapons is in the interest of all. Therefore, if we are assured of cooperation by parties and temporary ceasefire could be carried out, it will allow us to work in a permissible environment... I think the targets could be achieved," he said.

The first group of chemical experts arrived in Syria last Tuesday and met Syrian foreign ministry officials before they started their work on examining and dismantling/destroying October 6.

The OPCW will help Syria destroy its chemical weapons by mid-2014, said the United Nations Security Council.