Syria agrees to handover chemical weapons

Syria's leaders on Tuesday accepted a Russian proposal to hand over its chemical weapons. Syrian state television and Russia's Interfax news agency reported this development, a day after the idea came up in an off-the-cuff comment by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

However, details such as where the arms would go, who would safeguard them and how the world could be certain that Syria had handed over its entire stockpile of chemical weapons, are yet to be worked out.

The US, France, Great Britain and other nations have accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons repeatedly in its two-year-old civil war; the latest of such incidents being the death of over a 1000 persons on August 21. Syrian officials have repeatedly denied the allegations and blamed rebel forces.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem announced Syria's decision on Tuesday and was quoted by Interfax as saying he had had a fruitful round of talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

There have been several reactions to this announcement around the world. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France would present a proposal on the handover to the UN Security Council on but added that it would not accept delays in the transfer. Fabius said, "We need quick results."

European Union Foreign Affairs Secretary, Catherine Ashton, expressed support for France's plan to bring the issue to the Security Council. She added, "The proposal now needs to be fully worked up as quickly as possible."

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a proponent of a military strike on Syria, lauded the idea as worth exploring despite his skepticism.

"I'm very, very skeptical," McCain told the CNN. "But the fact is, you can't pass up this opportunity — if it is one."

McCain is one of the key players crafting the Senate resolution, which would be an alternative to the use-of-force resolution proposed by the administration.

 It would allow the president to deploy US forces against Syria if the United Nations doesn't pass a resolution that condemns the attack, says it was "committed by the Syrian regime" and sets a deadline to hand over the weapons.

The senators have not decided whether the resolution would include limits on the use of U.S. force, such as sending troops to the country.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "The world needs to test if the Syrian arms handover is genuine and not just a delaying tactic.
-Punch

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