GENEVA — The United States and Russia agreed Saturday on an outline for the identification and seizure of Syrian chemical weapons and said Syria must turn over an accounting of its arsenal within a week.
The agreement will be backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution that could allow for sanctions or other consequences if Syria fails to comply, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said.
(Read the framework of the agreement.)
Kerry said that the first international inspection of Syrian chemical weapons will take place by November, with destruction to begin next year.
“Providing this effort is fully implemented, it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people, but also to their neighbors, to the region,” and the rest of the world, he said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that the documents released Saturday constitute an “agreed proposal” that does not yet have the force of law.
Senior administration officials had said Friday that the Obama administration would not press for U.N. authorization to use force against Syria if it reneges on any agreement to give up its chemical weapons.
One fear throughout the more than two-year civil war has been that the weapons would fall under the control of militant groups or that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, if desperate enough, could sell them to the highest bidder.
Syrian rebel commander Gen. Salim Idriss reiterated his rejection of the Russian initiative Saturday, saying that it effectively leaves Assad unpunished for an alleged chemical weapons attack in Damascus on Aug. 21.
“What about the murderer Bashar who gave the order? Should we forget him?” he said, speaking at a televised press conference in Istanbul. “We feel let down by the international community. We don’t have any hope.”
Idriss said that the United States and other international allies of the Syrian opposition are backing the Russian deal despite knowing that it is a ploy to protect the Syrian government. Russia and Syria are “playing games” to buy more time, he said, adding that with the focus now on chemical weapons, the Syrians killed by other weapons such as Scud missiles have been forgotten.
He implored the international community to give further assistance. “Don’t leave the Syrians alone, facing and resisting this criminal regime,” he said. “We feel let down by the international community. We don’t have any hope.”
Idriss said that the rebels would facilitate safe passage for international chemical weapons inspectors in Syria but that there would be no cease-fire, vowing to press on “fighting the regime and work [towards] bringing it down.”
He added that Kerry had informed him by telephone that the option of military strikes had not been ruled out.
The rebels say that Assad has been emboldened by the United States’ rollback from military strikes, stepping up his campaign in the Damascus suburbs. On Saturday, Idriss accused Assad of using chemical weapons again in the capital last week, without giving further details.
The agreement will be backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution that could allow for sanctions or other consequences if Syria fails to comply, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said.
(Read the framework of the agreement.)
Kerry said that the first international inspection of Syrian chemical weapons will take place by November, with destruction to begin next year.
“Providing this effort is fully implemented, it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people, but also to their neighbors, to the region,” and the rest of the world, he said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that the documents released Saturday constitute an “agreed proposal” that does not yet have the force of law.
Senior administration officials had said Friday that the Obama administration would not press for U.N. authorization to use force against Syria if it reneges on any agreement to give up its chemical weapons.
One fear throughout the more than two-year civil war has been that the weapons would fall under the control of militant groups or that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, if desperate enough, could sell them to the highest bidder.
Syrian rebel commander Gen. Salim Idriss reiterated his rejection of the Russian initiative Saturday, saying that it effectively leaves Assad unpunished for an alleged chemical weapons attack in Damascus on Aug. 21.
“What about the murderer Bashar who gave the order? Should we forget him?” he said, speaking at a televised press conference in Istanbul. “We feel let down by the international community. We don’t have any hope.”
Idriss said that the United States and other international allies of the Syrian opposition are backing the Russian deal despite knowing that it is a ploy to protect the Syrian government. Russia and Syria are “playing games” to buy more time, he said, adding that with the focus now on chemical weapons, the Syrians killed by other weapons such as Scud missiles have been forgotten.
He implored the international community to give further assistance. “Don’t leave the Syrians alone, facing and resisting this criminal regime,” he said. “We feel let down by the international community. We don’t have any hope.”
Idriss said that the rebels would facilitate safe passage for international chemical weapons inspectors in Syria but that there would be no cease-fire, vowing to press on “fighting the regime and work [towards] bringing it down.”
He added that Kerry had informed him by telephone that the option of military strikes had not been ruled out.
The rebels say that Assad has been emboldened by the United States’ rollback from military strikes, stepping up his campaign in the Damascus suburbs. On Saturday, Idriss accused Assad of using chemical weapons again in the capital last week, without giving further details.