US rejects Assad’s chemical weapons suggestion

US secretary of state John Kerry yesterday rejected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s suggestion he begin submitting data on his chemical weapons arsenal a month after signing an international chemical weapons ban.

Kerry spoke at a news conference yesterday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Kerry noted Assad said a 30-day lead time would be standard.

Kerry said “there is nothing standard about this process” because Assad used chemical weapons. Kerry said the Syrian regime’s words are not enough.

Kerry warned that a US military strike could happen if Assad doesn’t agree to dismantle his chemical arsenal properly. “There ought to be consequences if it doesn’t take place,” he said.

Lavrov said the dismantling “will make unnecessary any strike against the Syrian Arab Republic”.

Assad said a Russian proposal for securing Syria’s chemical weapons can work only if the US halts threats of military action against his country.

Assad’s remarks to Russia’s state Rossiya 24 news channel were his first since the Russian plan was announced as a way to avert a potential US military strike.

They came as US officials, meeting with their Russian counterparts in Geneva, were expected to demand a speedy Syrian accounting of their stockpiles.

Assad said Syria is relinquishing control over its chemical weapons because of Russia. “We agreed to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international supervision in response to Russia’s request and not because of American threats.

“In my view, the agreement will begin to take effect a month after its signing, and Syria will begin turning over to international organisations data about its chemical weapons.”

Assad said this is “standard procedure” and that Syria will stick to it. “This is a two-sided process and we are counting, first of all, on the United States to stop conducting the policy of threats regarding Syria.”

Syria’s deputy prime minister, Qadri Jamil, also suggested the Russian proposal will succeed only if the US and its allies pledge not to attack Syria in the future.

“We want a pledge that neither [the US] nor anyone else will launch an aggression against Syria,” Jamil said.

Syria’s top rebel commander, meanwhile, slammed the Russian proposal, calling for Assad to be put on trial for allegedly ordering the Aug 21 attack.

Many rebels had held out hopes that US-led punitive strikes on Assad’s forces would help tip the scales in their favour in Syria’s civil war, which has claimed over 100,000 lives so far.