DHAKA: The head of the team tasked with destroying Syria’s chemical weapons says he is concerned about accessing some sites in rebel-controlled areas.

Ahmet Uzumcu, of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, renewed calls for both sides in the conflict to support his mission.

He told media he hoped the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the group last week, would help their work in Syria.

Syria officially joins the Chemical Weapons Convention on Monday, reports the BBC.

In his first interview since the OPCW won the prize, director-general Uzumcu told the BBC’s Today programme that Syrian officials had been co-operating and facilitating the work of his teams.

He said the government had taken the weapons experts wherever they wanted to go, and that they had already reached five out of at least 20 facilities capable of producing chemical weapons.

However, he added that some of the sites listed in Syria`s declaration lie within opposition territory.

BDST: 1248 HRS, OCT 14, 2013
RoR/BSK