UpdateRussia calls on Syria to hand over chemical weapons
Damascus responds positively to Moscow's proposal to place chemical arsenal under international control in bid to avert US strike
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Monday on the Syrian regime to hand over control of its chemical weapons arsenal to international supervision as a way of staving off the threat of military action.
After talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Moscow, Lavrov called on Syria to “place the chemical weapons under international control and then have them destroyed”.
He said such a plan would help “avoid military strikes” that are being considered by the United States and its allies. Lavrov said he had already made the proposal to Muallem and hoped for a “quick and positive answer” from Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s foreign minister said later on Monday he welcomed Russia’s proposal that Damascus hand over control of its chemical weapons arsenal to international supervision to avoid US military action.
“I carefully listened to (Russian foreign minister) Sergei Lavrov’s statement about it. In connection with this, I note that Syria welcomes the Russian initiative based on the Syrian leadership’s concern about the lives of our nationals and the security of our country,” Walid al-Muallem said in comments carried by Russian state news agency ITAR-Tass.
Syria welcomes the Russian initiative based on the Syrian leadership’s concern about the lives of our nationals and the security of our country