DAMASCUS: Syria has agreed to the Russia proposal to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control.
“Syria is handing over its chemical weapons under international supervision because of Russia,” Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with a Russian TV channel.
“The US threats did not influence the decision,” Assad added.
Assad said that Syria will start handing over information on its chemical weapons to international organizations, a month after it signs the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Syria is reported to have promised that it will submit all documents required for joining the chemical weapons ban treaty to the United Nations within days.
“I believe the agreement will come into force a month after the signing and Syria will start submitting data on its chemical weapons stockpile to international organizations. These are standard procedures and we are going to stick to them,” Assad said.
“It doesn’t mean that Syria will sign the documents, fulfill the obligations and that’s it. It’s a bilateral process aimed, first of all, at making the US stop pursuing its policy of threats against Syria,” Assad added.
On the other hand, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry are set to hold two-day talks beginning on Thursday in the Swiss city of Geneva to discuss the details of a Russian proposal designed to put Syrian chemical weapons under control.
