Syrian chemical weapons arsenal is under strict guard – Defense Ministry

"All sites connected with chemical weapons manufacturing or stockpiling are under the Syrian army’s guard," he said adding that "a threat of an attack on these sites still exist".

"Terrorists may carry out an attack on any site at any time because it’s in their nature," he added.

The Syrian army will guarantee safety of UN and OPCW inspectors, taking all the necessary measures for it, the Defense Ministry spokesman underlined.

According to him, the Syrian government set up an interdepartmental work group composed of Syria’s Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry representatives for guaranteeing safety work of international experts.

"A work group, composed of Defense and Foreign Ministry representatives, ensures safety of international inspectors and coordination in their work," he concluded.

Chemical experts start securing Syria sites - statement

Experts overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal have begun securing their work sites, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN said in a statement.

"Joint work with the Syrian authorities has begun on securing the sites where the team will operate," said the statement, which detailed the activities of the team's first day of work on Wednesday.

"In addition, planning continues for one of the team's immediate tasks, disabling Syria's chemical weapons production facilities, which should begin soon."

Putin, Obama to meet Oct. 7 to discuss Syria progress

Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to meet with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation on October 7. The two leaders are expected to discuss the progress of their Syria plan, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.

"The sides are coordinating organizational parameters of this meeting, and we think the meeting will take place," Ushakov told a press briefing on Thursday.

"That was our proposition, which the U.S. side immediately supported," he said. According to the presidential aide, the Russian and US leaders will discuss, amongst other issues, "the development of [earlier] agreements and prospects for joint work on the Syrian dossier."

Syria chemical weapons: used by terrorists, smuggled to Iraq – Russian FM
Read more: Russia has evidence that chemical weapons components are used by terrorists in Syria and smuggled into Iraq for possible provocations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, reports VoR's Polina Chernitsa.

Russia has evidence that chemical weapons components are used by terrorists in Syria and smuggled into Iraq for possible provocations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, reports VoR's Polina Chernitsa.

"We read reports and hear from various sources, semi-official and trustworthy, that some official representatives of a number of the countries of the region surrounding Syria allegedly established contacts and meet regularly with leaders of Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups, and also that those radicals have some components of chemical weapons maybe found in Syria or maybe brought from somewhere, and not just on the Syrian territory, but also that chemical weapons components have been brought to Iraq and that provocations are being prepared there,” Lavrov said at a news conference following talks with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid.

All that has intensified after the UN Security Council passed a Russian-US-proposed resolution on Syria’s chemical weapons and the Geneva-2 conference, the Russian minister said.

Sponsors of Syrian opposition should stop attempts to disrupt Geneva-2

Sponsors of the Syrian opposition should stop attempts to disrupt the Geneva-2 international conference on Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"There are enough provocateurs, and there will probably be more provocations. What’s important now is that it shouldn’t be them who calls the tune but Russia and the United States as the initiators of Geneva-2 along with the United Nations secretary general to whom a request to that effect was submitted in New York,” Lavrov said.

He urged all the Syrian forces to agree to attend Geneva-2 without preliminary conditions in keeping with the Geneva communique signed last June.

Those who sponsor and finance the Syrian opposition "should realize their responsibility and stop attempts to disrupt preparations for the conference in a bid to reanimate a military scenario,” Lavrov said.

Syrians are able to agree implementation of Geneva communique

Russia hopes that the Syrians will be able to find common ground on the implementation of the June 30 2012 Geneva Communique, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

He reiterated calls for the Geneva-2 international conference on Syria to be convened in the nearest future.