Syria welcomes proposal on chemical weapons - Russia will provide all necessary arms for defense

Russian foreign minister says he urged Syria to surrender its chemical weapons if it would help avert military strikes.
Syria has said it welcomes Russia's proposal for the country to put its chemical weapons under international control, Reuters reports, quoting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

The reaction followed a statement by the Russian foreign minister on Monday that it had Syria to put its chemical weapons under international control if the move would avert military strikes.

Sergey Lavrov said he had already conveyed the idea to Moallem during talks in Moscow and that Russia expected "a quick and, I hope, a positive answer".

As well as handing over the weapons and having them destroyed, Syria should also become a full member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Lavrov said.
"We do not know if Syria agrees to this, but if placing the chemical weapons under international control helps avoid military strikes, then we will immediately get to work on this."

The statement was prompted by a comment made by John Kerry, US secretary of state, suggesting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a US strike by surrendering all his chemical weapons within a week.

Further clarification from the State Department indicated that he had been speaking rhetorically.

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Moscow, said the Russians were running with Kerry's remark.

"He wasn't bringing a proposal to the press conference, he was responding to a question from a reporter," he said.

"The Russians have picked this up and run with it. it is a new idea and it certainly throws the cards up in the air somewhat."

The developments came in course of a day of increasing rhetoric surrounding the debate of military intervention in Syria, with Russia warning that an attack on Syria risked causing an "outburst of terrorism" in the region at a time when Assad government was still ready for talks to end the conflict.

"All the more, politicians share our estimation that a military solution will lead to an outburst of terrorism both in Syria and in neighbouring countries," Lavrov said on Monday after talks with Moallem.

"The possibility for a political solution remains," he said, emphasising that Moallem had assured him at the talks in Moscow that Syria was still "ready for peace talks".

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said he too welcomed Russia's proposals and called for the creation of UN-supervised zones in Syria where chemical weapons could be destroyed.

"I am considering urging the Security Council to demand the immediate transfer of Syria's chemical weapons and chemical precursor stocks to places inside Syria where they can be safely stored and destroyed," Ban said, adding that it would overcome the security council's "embarrassing paralysis."

Peace conference

Russia and the US agreed in May to organise a peace conference in the Swiss city of Geneva, bringing all sides to the negotiating table but it has not happened amid continued US-Russian tensions.

"We are truly ready to take part in the Geneva conference without preconditions," Moallem said, but he warned that the position would change if military strikes took place.
Shortly after the Moscow press conference ended, Kerry and his British counterpart William Hague reiterated that Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack at the centre of the current crisis.

Kerry was also asked on Monday about comments Assad made to US journalist Charlie Rose in which Assad said there was no conclusive evidence about who is to blame for the chemical weapons attack.

Asked about Assad's denial, Kerry said, "I just gave you real evidence. ... We know that his regime gave orders to prepare for a chemical attack. We know they deployed forces."

Kerry also said on Monday that the control of chemical weapons in Syria was limited to Assad, his brother Maher and an unnamed general.

As the very public debate over intervention continues, AFP news agency reported that Gulf states intended to meet on Tuesday to discuss measures against Syria.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has openly voiced support for the rebellion against Assad.

Meanwhile, Cyprus has said it would have no involvement of any kind in a potential US-led strike on Syria, which lies about 100km to its east.