Kerry 'credits' Assad regime for acting on Syria's chemical weapons in 'record time'

Secretary of State John Kerry has said it was a 'credit' for the Assad regime that the process of destroying the chemical weapons had begun in 'record time'.

Kerry told reporters after talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Indonesia that the process has begun in record time and appreciated the Russian cooperation.

He added that it's extremely significant that within a week of the United Nations resolution on Syria's chemical arsenal being passed, some chemical weapons were being destroyed."

According to the Christian Science Monitor, weapons inspectors from the Netherlands-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have begun the destruction process on Sunday.

The inspectors visited a facility accompanied by UN staff and Syrian personnel who used cutting torches and angle grinders to destroy or disable a range of items.