WORLD_ Syria 'welcomes' Russian proposal on chemical weapons

Syria 'welcomes' Russian proposal on chemical weapons

Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY
3:21 p.m. EDT September 9, 2013


The Russian foreign minister says Moscow will push Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control.

The Syrian government said Monday it welcomes a proposal by Russia to avoid a U.S.military strike in Damascus by placing its chemical weapons under international monitors.


Story Highlights
  * Syrian official does not say whether his country will agree to the idea
  * White House says it will 'want to take a hard look' at the proposal
  * Syria is one of only 5 countries that has not signed a treaty banning chemical weapons


The statement by Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem came in response to a proposal put forth Monday by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavroy as a way to defuse the crisis over the use of chemical weapons. The two foreign minister held talks in Moscow on Monday.

"I state that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Russian initiative, motivated by the Syrian leadership's concern for the lives of our citizens and the security of our country, and also motivated by our confidence in the wisdom of the Russian leadership, which is attempting to prevent American aggression against our people," al-Moualem said.

Moualem did not say whether his country would agree to what Russia was asking.

Lavrov, in announcing the proposal, said he hoped to receive a "fast and positive answer."

The Russian foreign minister said that if such a move would help avert a possible U.S. strike on Syria, Russia will start work "immediately" to persuade Syria to give up the control of its chemical arsenals.

In Washington, the White House said Monday it will "want to take a hard look" at the Russian proposal.

"We'll talk to the Russians about it," said deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken.

Blinken said the proposals comes in the "context of U.S. action and the pressure the president is exerting."

In Philadlephia, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said that Syria surrendering chemical stockpiles would be an "important step" to averting a potential U.S. military strike but can't be an "excuse for delay or obstruction" by the Bashar Assad regime.

In Moscow, Lavrov told reporters that Russia would urge Syria to concentrate its chemical weapons in certain areas under international oversight and then dismantle them.

ASSAD: A U.S. attack would bring 'repercussions'

CLINTON: Syria move could be an 'important step' to avert crisis

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria to immediately agree to transfer chemical weapons and chemical precursors to a safe place within the country for international destruction.

Ban also said he would urge the Security Council that to demand an immediate chemical weapons transfer if U.N. inspectors determine that such weapons were used in an attack Aug. 21 in a suburb of Damascus.

"I am sure that the international community will take quick measures to make sure that these chemical weapons reserves are stored in a safe place and are to be destroyed," Ban Ki-moon said.

The Obama administration has accused the Assad regime of mounting the attack that killed more than 1,400 people. President Obama has called on Congress to back a limited strike against Syria in response.

Lavrov, who spoke after talks Monday with al-Moallem, said that U.N. chemical weapons experts should complete their probe of the attack and present their findings to the U.N. Security Council.

"We have agreed to push for the soonest return of inspectors," Lavrov said.

Al-Moallem said his government was ready to host the U.N. team, and insisted that Syria is ready to use all channels to convince the Americans that it wasn't behind the attack.

He added that Syria was ready for "full cooperation with Russia to remove any pretext for aggression."

Syria is one of only five countries -- including Angola, North Korea, Egypt, and South Sudan -- that have not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention drawn up in 1992.

The arms control treaty, signed by 189 countries, bans the use and production of chemical weapons and calls for their destruction. Myanmar, also known as Burma, and Israel have signed the agreement, but have not ratified it.

Earlier in London, Secretary of State John Kerry was asked if Assad could do anything to avoid a military strike.

"Sure. He could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week," he said. "Turn it over. All of it, without delay. And allow the full and total accounting for that. But he isn't about to do it."

Later, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked of Kerry's remarks amounted to an ultimatum.'

"Secretary Kerry was making a rhetorical argument about the impossibility and unlikelihood of Assad turning over chemical weapons he has denied he used," she said in a statement. "His point was that this brutal dictator with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts can not be trusted to turn over chemical weapons otherwise he would have done so long ago. That's why the world faces this moment."

In an interview with Charlie Rose for CBS This Morning, Syrian President Bashar Assad denied using chemical weapons to attack his own people, but would neither confirm nor deny that his government kept such weapons. But, he said, if they existed, they were "in centralized control."

Syria has denied launching the Aug. 21 attack, insisting along with its ally Russia that the attack was launched by the rebels to drag the U.S. into war. Assad told CBS that his troops were attacked by chemical weapons and were not the aggressors.

"Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically," he told Rose. "Our soldiers. They went to the hospital -- as casualties because of chemical weapons."

In his call for a negotiated settlement, Lavrov said that Russia will continue to promote a peaceful settlement and may try to convene a gathering of all Syrian opposition figures to join in negotiations. He added that a U.S. attack on Syria would deal a fatal blow to peace efforts.

Lavrov wouldn't say how Russia could respond to a possible U.S. attack on Syria, saying that "we wouldn't like to proceed from a negative scenario and would primarily take efforts to prevent a military intervention."

President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would keep providing assistance to Syria in case of U.S. attack, but he and other Russian officials have made clear that Russia has no intention to engage in hostilities.

Assad, in his interview with CBS, said the U.S. would face "repercussions" in the event of an attack
Contributing: Associated Press



Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog".
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc . 
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị . 




conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
10092013 
___________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC