(VOVworld)- The UN Security Council on Thursday approved the plan of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to destroy the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal by mid-2014.

UN vehicle carries a team of experts in Syria. (Photo: Reuters)

The UK and Russian Ambassadors said in a closed-door meeting that all 15 members of the UN Security Council agreed on establishing a joint mission of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to implement the plan. 12 experts from the OPCW arrived in Damacus Thursday to carry out the plan. Head of the mission Ahmet Uzumcu said destroying all chemical weapons is in the common interest of all parties and should be strictly observed. All parties need to cooperate and Syria must agree on a temporary truce to allow the experts to fulfill their duties.

Uzumcu said destroying all chemical weapons in Syria will not be easy but the OPCW applauded the Syrian government’s cooperation. Syria is thought to have more than 1 thousand tons of chemical weapons, including toxins stored all around the country.