China 'satisfied' with Syrian progress

BEIJING - China said on Friday it was satisfied with the progress being made in destroying chemical weapons in Syria and applauded all parties' efforts.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed Thursday that Syria has destroyed critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, in line with a November 1 deadline.

The OPCW said it had inspected 21 of the 23 sites declared by Syria, and 39 of the 41 facilities located at those sites.

The OPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu has submitted a report to the organization's executive council, which reflects Syria's efforts toward implementation of the OPCW decision on dismantling the chemical weapons and gives a full account of the organization's verification work in Syria, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

The executive council will map out a detailed destruction plan for the next stage after deliberating on the report, Hua said. "We are expecting all parties to work in a constructive manner to make a pragmatic plan at an early date."

"China is willing to work with all parties to facilitate a comprehensive and effective implementation of the OPCW decision and contribute to the political solution of the Syria issue," Hua said.

The next deadline is November 15 when the council has to adopt a detailed plan submitted by Syria to destroy the country's more than 1,000 tons of chemical weapons by mid-2014.