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China Backs Russian Plan for Syrian Chemical Arsenal France to Seek Resolution at U.N. on Syria’s Chemical Arms
(about 1 hour later)
LONDON — China, which has resisted Western calls for military action against Syria, said on Tuesday that it supported a Russian plan for Syria to hand over control of its chemical weapons, giving some impetus to Moscow’s avowed effort to avert an American strike following last month’s poison gas attacks outside Damascus. LONDON — As the diplomatic pace quickened around Russia’s plan for Syria to relinquish control of its chemical weapons, France said on Tuesday it would propose a United Nations Security Council resolution enshrining the idea while Moscow said it was working with the authorities in Damascus on a “workable, precise and concrete plan” to carry the proposal forward.
But, amid Western skepticism over the motives behind the proposal, rebels battling to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad denounced the plan as a political maneuver, reflecting a belief that, as it has throughout the crisis, Russia was seeking to shield its Middle East ally. “We are hoping to present this plan in the near future,” Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said. “We will be ready to work through this plan and improve it with the participation of the U.N. general secretary, with chemical weapons control organizations and with the members of the Security Council.”
The remarks by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei came as a leading rights group supported conclusions by Western governments that only the government of Mr. Assad could have launched the attack that killed hundreds of people, many of them children. The Russian blueprint also won backing from China, which has resisted Western calls for military action against Syria, which said on Tuesday that it welcomed and supported Moscow’s avowed effort to avert an American strike following last month’s poison gas attacks outside Damascus.
But, amid lingering and deep-rooted Western skepticism over the motives behind the Russian gambit, rebels battling to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad denounced the plan as a political maneuver, reflecting a belief that Russia was seeking to shield its Middle East ally.
In Paris, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the French approach to the Security Council would be made under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, which provides for an array of action, including military, to restore peace, and would urge the Syrians to accept that their chemical stockpiles would be dismantled. President Bashar al-Assad’s government would face “extremely serious” consequences for reneging on the deal, he said.
France, which has emerged as the Obama administrations’s leading European ally after the British Parliament voted against involvement in military action in Syria, said the Russian proposal represented an about-face by Moscow that showed the impact of French and American diplomacy. “We welcome the Russian proposal with interest and caution,” Mr. Fabius told a radio interviewer in Paris. “Our decisiveness has paid off.”
The rapid-fire developments came as a leading rights group supported conclusions by Western governments that only the government of Mr. Assad could have launched the attack that killed hundreds of people, many of them children.
While Mr. Assad has denied that his forces used toxic agents in the attacks on the morning of Aug. 21, Human Rights Watch in New York said evidence concerning the type of rockets and launchers involved in the strike “suggests that these are weapon systems known and documented to be only in the possession of, and used by, Syrian government armed forces.”While Mr. Assad has denied that his forces used toxic agents in the attacks on the morning of Aug. 21, Human Rights Watch in New York said evidence concerning the type of rockets and launchers involved in the strike “suggests that these are weapon systems known and documented to be only in the possession of, and used by, Syrian government armed forces.”
“Rocket debris and symptoms of the victims from the Aug. 21 attacks on Ghouta provide telltale evidence about the weapon systems used,” said Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch and the author of the 22-page report. “This evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government troops launched rockets carrying chemical warheads into the Damascus suburbs that terrible morning.”“Rocket debris and symptoms of the victims from the Aug. 21 attacks on Ghouta provide telltale evidence about the weapon systems used,” said Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch and the author of the 22-page report. “This evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government troops launched rockets carrying chemical warheads into the Damascus suburbs that terrible morning.”
The report identified the delivery systems used on Aug. 21 as a Soviet-era 140 mm rocket “designed to carry and deliver” about five pounds of sarin, and a 330 mm rocket capable of carrying “a large payload of liquid chemical agent.”The report identified the delivery systems used on Aug. 21 as a Soviet-era 140 mm rocket “designed to carry and deliver” about five pounds of sarin, and a 330 mm rocket capable of carrying “a large payload of liquid chemical agent.”
On Monday, President Obama tentatively embraced the Russian diplomatic proposal to have international monitors take control of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons. The move added new uncertainty to Mr. Obama’s push to win support among allies, the American public and members of Congress for a limited attack.On Monday, President Obama tentatively embraced the Russian diplomatic proposal to have international monitors take control of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons. The move added new uncertainty to Mr. Obama’s push to win support among allies, the American public and members of Congress for a limited attack.
But the proposals seems freighted with uncertainties relating as much to the tactical considerations behind it as to the practical issues involved in enforcing it at the height of a bloody civil war that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011.But the proposals seems freighted with uncertainties relating as much to the tactical considerations behind it as to the practical issues involved in enforcing it at the height of a bloody civil war that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011.
In London on Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron offered a qualified welcome to the Russian plan.In London on Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron offered a qualified welcome to the Russian plan.
“If Syria were to put its chemical weapons beyond use under international supervision, clearly that would be a big step forward and should be encouraged,” he told Parliament. “I think we have to be careful, though, to make sure this is not a distraction tactic to discuss something else rather than the problem on the table, but if it is a genuine offer, then it should be genuinely looked at.”“If Syria were to put its chemical weapons beyond use under international supervision, clearly that would be a big step forward and should be encouraged,” he told Parliament. “I think we have to be careful, though, to make sure this is not a distraction tactic to discuss something else rather than the problem on the table, but if it is a genuine offer, then it should be genuinely looked at.”
In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing elections on Sept. 22, opposes German military involvement in Syria, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper commented that “the chemical weapons control idea now being discussed has a certain appeal.”In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing elections on Sept. 22, opposes German military involvement in Syria, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper commented that “the chemical weapons control idea now being discussed has a certain appeal.”
“Obama has been facing the problem of convincing skeptics in Congress and the risk of becoming a lame duck. Putin, meanwhile, could use the proposal to free himself from his reputation for being a naysayer who is obstinately covering a mass-murderer’s back. And the West as a whole could be spared the dilemma of having to intervene in a civil war which it had intended to keep out of,” the newspaper said.“Obama has been facing the problem of convincing skeptics in Congress and the risk of becoming a lame duck. Putin, meanwhile, could use the proposal to free himself from his reputation for being a naysayer who is obstinately covering a mass-murderer’s back. And the West as a whole could be spared the dilemma of having to intervene in a civil war which it had intended to keep out of,” the newspaper said.
In Beijing, news reports said, the Chinese spokesman told a regular news briefing that it welcomed and supported the Russian proposal, made during a day of hectic, rapid-fire developments as the Obama administration sought to shore up foreign and domestic support for military action to punish Mr. Assad. In Beijing, news reports said, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told a regular news briefing that it welcomed and supported the Russian proposal.
“We welcome and support the Russian side’s suggestion,” Mr. Hong, the spokesman, was quoted as saying. “We welcome and support the Russian side’s suggestion,” the spokesman, was quoted as saying.
He also said that a delegation from the Syrian opposition was visiting Beijing starting Tuesday.He also said that a delegation from the Syrian opposition was visiting Beijing starting Tuesday.
In Beirut, a statement by opponents of President Assad said the Russian proposal, made by Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, “is a political maneuver and is part of useless procrastination that will only result in more deaths and destruction for the Syrian people,” Agence France-Presse reported. In Beirut, a statement by opponents of President Assad said the Russian proposal “is a political maneuver and is part of useless procrastination that will only result in more deaths and destruction for the Syrian people,” Agence France-Presse reported.
The developments came as television footage from Syria’s myriad battlefronts showed both government forces and Islamic adversaries exchanging heavy fire in the rocky hillside town of Maaloula, a predominantly Christian town north of Damascus that is famed as the last linguistic redoubt of Aramaic, an ancient language said to have been widely used in biblical times.The developments came as television footage from Syria’s myriad battlefronts showed both government forces and Islamic adversaries exchanging heavy fire in the rocky hillside town of Maaloula, a predominantly Christian town north of Damascus that is famed as the last linguistic redoubt of Aramaic, an ancient language said to have been widely used in biblical times.