The world’s chemical weapons watchdog said Tuesday it will deploy a second team of inspectors to bolster its ambitious program to dismantle Syria’s arsenal.

The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Tuesday it will deploy a second team of inspectors to bolster its ambitious program to dismantle Syria's arsenal.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons "will deploy a second team of inspectors for the mission in Syria," it said in a statement.

"That will augment the advance team of OPCW experts, who have been in Syria since 1 October conducting verification and destruction activities," it said, without providing further details on the new team.

The organization's Director General Ahmet Uzumcu briefed diplomats at the meeting on progress made so far in Syria.

He confirmed that Syria was cooperating with the joint OPCW-UN disarmament mission, and had on Sunday begun dismantling chemical weapons.

"A range of items were also being dismantled towards the goal of rendering unusable all production facilities and mixing and filling equipment by 1 November of this year," the statement said.

"These developments present a constructive beginning for what will nonetheless be a long and difficult process," Uzumcu said.

A deal providing for the UN to facilitate security and field logistics for the mission will be inked shortly, he added.