THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Syria has submitted its first formal declaration about its chemical weapons program and a plan for how to destroy them, weapons experts say.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said the declaration was submitted Thursday, three days ahead of the mandatory deadline.
"Such declarations provide the basis on which plans are devised for a systematic, total and verified destruction of declared chemical weapons and production facilities," the OPCW statement said.
Syria has also submitted another declaration "covering activities and facilities that are not prohibited under the Convention but can be subjected to routine verification measures," the organization said.
That document is viewed as a "confidence building measure and to establish the peaceful intent of commercial activities," OPCW said.
The organization, which was recently named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, says it has given its first report to the U.N. Security Council since inspectors began rendering inoperable Syrian production facilities for chemical weapons earlier this month.
