Photo: AFP
A chemical attack may be launched on Israel by Syrian rebels from government-controlled areas as a “major provocation”, a number of sources have told Russian media.
The news comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed that Syria puts its chemical weapons arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction in order to prevent a possible military strike against the war-torn republic.
Moscow also urged the Syrian authorities to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The offer has already been passed over to the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who met Lavrov in Moscow for talks on Monday.
Syria welcomes Russia’s proposal to put its chemical weapons under intl control – Syrian FM
Syria welcomes a Russian proposal to place the nation’s chemical weapons under international control, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem said on Monday after talks in Moscow, praising the Kremlin for seeking to “prevent American aggression”.
Moualem, who spoke to reporters through an interpreter after Russia expressed hope the proposal could avert military strikes against Syria, stopped short of explicitly saying that President Bashar al-Assad’s government accepted it.
“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,” he said.
“We are calling on the Syrian authorities not only agree on putting chemical weapons storages under international control, but also for its further destruction and then joining the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier.
Moscow proposes Syria’s chemical disarmament in exchange for peace
Russia has offered Syria to put its chemical weapons under international control, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
After talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Moscow, Lavrov called on Syria to “place the chemical
“We have passed our offer to Al-Muallem [Syrian Foreign Minister] and hope to receive [a] fast and positive answer,” Sergey Lavrov said.
“We are calling on the Syrian government to reach agreements on the putting their chemical weapons storage facilities under international control, subsequent destruction of these weapons, and on the full-fledged joining to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),” he said.
If establishment of control over chemical weapons in Syria can help avoid a strike, Russia will immediately join it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at press-conference.
Moscow will try to broker a deal in which Syria submits its chemical arsenal to international control and the West drops plans to attack Syria, Lavrov added.
Announcing this in Moscow on Monday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said Moscow is already stoking up diplomacy to this end.
The chemical attack on August 21 allegedly was orchestrated – Lavrov
“The chemical attack on August 21 allegedly was orchestrated,” Russian Foreign Ministed Sergei Lavrov said during the meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem.
Voice of Russia, RT, Reuters, TASS, Interfax