Monday, 9 September 2013
Russia has asked Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed, in an attempt to avoid US military strikes.
According to foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the offer was made during talks with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem, who welcomed the initiative.
The United State Of America said it was skeptical, but would have a "hard look" at the plan.
The US went further to accuse Damascus of war crimes, allegations denied by the regime.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, in Europe to garner support for the military action, inadvertently started the talk of Syria giving up its chemical weapons early on Monday.
When asked at a news conference whether there was anything Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could do to avoid military action, Mr Kerry replied that he could hand over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week.
US officials also clarified that Mr Kerry was making a "rhetorical argument" rather than a serious offer.
However, Mr Lavrov later revealed in a news conference that he had urged Mr Muallem to "not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on their subsequent destruction".
He said he had also told Mr Muallem that Syria should then fully join the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Mr Muallem told reporters through an interpreter that Syria welcomed the initiative and praised Russia for "attempting to prevent American aggression against our people".
Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov spoke on the phone after the Russian proposal was put forward, but US officials sounded a cautious note over the plan.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the US government would study the proposal, but had scepticism over the credibility of the Assad regime.
"In an interview earlier, Assad refused to even acknowledge that he has chemical weapons. Of course, the whole world knows he does," said Mr Carney.
He promised that the US would continue to push for strikes because the credible threat of military action was vital in putting pressure on the Assad regime.
