Syria 'deserves credit' over arms

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the Assad regime in Syria deserves credit for its compliance in the destruction of the country's chemical weapons.

Speaking following a summit with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kerry said: "I think it is extremely significant that yesterday, within a week of the resolution being passed, some chemical weapons were already being destroyed.

"I think it is also credit to the Assad regime for complying rapidly, as they are supposed to. We hope that will continue...It is a good beginning and we should welcome a good beginning."

The process of destroying Syria's chemical weapons began today as inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN sought to destroy the country's arsenal in compliance with international demands. A UN spokesperson said:

A team of UN chemical experts who began the process of destroying Syria's chemical gas arsenal today returned to their hotel.

International inspectors began destroying Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons and the machinery used to create it, the United Nations said.

Read: Inspectors begin destroying Syria's stockpile

A UN official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the process of assessing, disarming and disabling was already underway.

More: ITN obtains independent footage of Syria's chemical attack

United Nations peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, repeated today that peace talks planned for mid-November may not take place.

He told TV5 television and RFI radio:

A United Nations official has said chemical weapons inspectors have started destroying Syria's chemical weapon stockpile and machinery.