14 chemical sites inspected in Syria

A group of international experts have conducted inspection activities at 14 chemical weapons sites in Syria, an official statement said Friday.

A group of international experts have conducted inspection activities at 14 chemical weapons sites in Syria, an official statement said Friday.

"The number of sites visited ... has increased to 14," reported Xinhua citing the joint team of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN in the statement.

On Wednesday, the two organisations officially established their joint mission, which aims to rid Syria of its chemical arsenal by mid-2014, and appointed Sigrid Kaag as its special coordinator.

On Tuesday, the OPCW said its advance team with the UN had been reinforced by a second group of OPCW inspectors and UN support staff, bringing its total personnel to 60.

It said the advance team, since it started work October 6, had made "good progress" in verifying the information submitted by the Syrian government on its chemical weapon programme.