Strike threat fades as Syria agrees to hand over chemical weapons

MOSCOW: The looming threat of a strike on Syria faded on Tuesday as it said it had accepted a Russian proposal to hand over its chemical weapons to avert military strikes, as France kept up the pressure with a UN resolution threatening force if the regime failed to comply. The surprise initiative from President Bashar al-Assad’s key ally has been welcomed around the world, albeit cautiously in some quarters, including by President Barack Obama who said it could “potentially be a significant breakthrough.” Only the opposition fighting Assad’s regime for control of Syria openly denounced the Russian idea, describing it as a political manoeuvre that would waste time and cause more deaths.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov unexpectedly raised the proposal on Monday after meeting his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem, setting off a dizzying flurry of diplomatic manoeuvres around the world as leaders scrambled to respond to the gesture. “Already (Monday) in the evening we agreed with the Russian initiative,” Muallem said on the second day of his visit to Moscow, saying the move would “knock the chair from under the legs of the American aggression”. Russia hopes the plan — which calls on Damascus to place chemical weapons under international control and have them destroyed — could avert threatened US military action as retribution for a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus on August 21 which the West blames on the regime. “The Syrian leadership, in accepting the initiative, was acting out of its belief in Russia’s effort to prevent aggression,” Muallem was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.But Syria’s top diplomat, whose comments were provide any details on how Syria might implement the plan. Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow was “literally right now, in these minutes” in talks with Damascus to develop a “concrete plan” for the Syrian regime to hand over its chemical weapons. Meanwhile France, which has said it will join the United States in military action, said it planned to present an ultimatum to the UN Security Council demanding Syria place the weapons under international control — or face the use of force. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the proposed resolution would be presented under chapter seven of the UN charter, which provides a basis for military action.“It will provide for extremely serious consequences in the event of Syria violating its obligations,” Fabius said. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said London would back any “credible” UN resolution on Syria’s chemical weapons programme, but insisted it must contain the threat of force.Obama on Monday said he had not taken military strikes off the table but in agreeing to consider the Russian initiative, he had effectively pushed back the timetable for possible action. He said the Russian plan “could potentially be a significant breakthrough.”“But we have to be sceptical because this is not how we’ve seen them operate over the last couple of years.” Obama, who faces a tough task winning Congressional approval for even a limited military action, admitted that US lawmakers were not close to voting on the issue.“I don’t anticipate that you would see a succession of votes this week or anytime in the immediate future,” he told ABC news. The Russian plan was announced after apparently throwaway remarks on Monday by Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that to avoid military action, Assad could turn over his chemical weapons to the international community. But Obama later said he had discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at last week’s G20 summit in Saint Petersburg, and Lavrov acknowledged that the plan was “not entirely a Russian initiative.” The rebels battling Assad, who hoped to see US missiles rain down on the regime, condemned the arms plan as a plot by the Kremlin to protect Assad.“The proposal of Lavrov is a political manoeuvre and is part of useless procrastination that will only result in more deaths and destruction for the Syrian people,” said an opposition statement. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed concern that the plan might be “a distraction tactic” but broadly welcomed it.The foreign ministry of China, which has backed Russia’s stance throughout the crisis, said “we welcome and support the Russian side’s suggestion”. Iran, an ally of both Syria and Russia, “favourably welcomes” the Russian plan, foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afgham said.The plan also won backing from the Arab League.For his part, Assad warned in an earlier interview with US television that the United States would “pay the price” if it attacks Syria.