Inspectors charged with dismantling chemical arms arrive in Beirut en route to Syria

An advance group of weapons inspectors who will oversee Syria's destruction of its chemical arms arrived in Beirut Monday en route to Damascus, Lebanese airport and security officials said.

The inspectors from The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are to help Syria meet a Nov. 1 deadline to scrap its ability to manufacture such arms, and are scheduled to head into Syria on Tuesday. The destruction of Syria's existing stockpiles is to be completed by mid-2014.

A Russian initiative eventually averted a US strike and led to the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution to have Syria dismantle its chemical weapons program. The resolution, passed after two weeks of white-knuckle negotiations, marked a major breakthrough in diplomatic efforts since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.

Lebanese airport and security officials said 20 inspectors from the OPCW landed in Beirut with a private jet Monday afternoon, but did not speak to journalists. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The UN resolution passed unanimously Friday aims to strip President Bashar Assad's regime of its estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal by mid-2014. It also calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, though the Security Council would have to pass another resolution to impose any penalties.

US and Russian efforts are also focusing on holding that conference, perhaps as soon as November in Geneva.

On Monday, another UN team of inspectors charged with investigating alleged chemical attack sites concluded its almost week-long mission in Syria and headed to Lebanon. The UN said Friday the team was to investigate a total of seven locations.

The team initially visited Syria last month to investigate three alleged chemical attacks earlier this year. But just days into the visit, the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta was hit by a chemical weapons attack, and the inspectors turned their attention to that case. The inquiry determined that the nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug. 21 attack, but it did not assess who was behind it.  

Positions:

The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius declared that a number of European states will take part in the upcoming international conference dubbed “Geneva II”, aiming at discussing Syria’s transitional phase, adding that Syrian President Bashar Assad rejected any European role in the conference.

“Geneva II will involve all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and aims at reaching an agreement over a transitional government for a united Syria that respects minorities,” Fabius said.    

On the field:   

Syria's state-run news agency says three mortar shells have hit the capital, Damascus, one of them landing near the Chinese embassy.

UN report:       

The head of the United Nations development agency is warning that Syria's refugee crisis is threatening economic development throughout the region because host countries cannot cope with the influx.                  

Helen Clark told a meeting Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, that the situation not only poses a humanitarian crisis but also threatens economies of neighboring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey due to its impact on trade, agriculture, tourism, employment and demands on water use.

She said that by the end of the year, nearly 25 percent of Lebanon's population will be made up of refugees. The figure has already reached 10 percent in Jordan.  Clark added that "clearly the costs on host communities and countries cannot be borne by them alone."