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| Syrian chemical weapons: Russia hands disarmament plan to US | Syrian chemical weapons: Russia hands disarmament plan to US |
| (7 days later) | |
| John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov are due to meet in Geneva on Thursday after Moscow reportedly presented Washington with its plan to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons. | John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov are due to meet in Geneva on Thursday after Moscow reportedly presented Washington with its plan to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons. |
| The US secretary of state and the Russian foreign minister are expected to hold two days of talks to discuss Moscow's plan, which has not been made public, and to try to resolve differences between western powers and Russia over whether the disarmament process should be backed by a threat of force if the Syrian government reneges on the timetable. The discussions could determine whether or not the plan is put into action. | The US secretary of state and the Russian foreign minister are expected to hold two days of talks to discuss Moscow's plan, which has not been made public, and to try to resolve differences between western powers and Russia over whether the disarmament process should be backed by a threat of force if the Syrian government reneges on the timetable. The discussions could determine whether or not the plan is put into action. |
| Plans to take the dispute to the UN security council for a vote have been put on hold pending the outcome of the Geneva talks. US, British and French diplomats continued to meet on Wednesday at the UN headquarters to discuss a French draft resolution that would give Bashar al-Assad's regime 15 days to produce an "exhaustive, complete and definitive declaration of the locations, amount and types of all items related to its chemical warfare programme". | Plans to take the dispute to the UN security council for a vote have been put on hold pending the outcome of the Geneva talks. US, British and French diplomats continued to meet on Wednesday at the UN headquarters to discuss a French draft resolution that would give Bashar al-Assad's regime 15 days to produce an "exhaustive, complete and definitive declaration of the locations, amount and types of all items related to its chemical warfare programme". |
| The draft, according to a copy obtained by Reuters, would then order "immediate on-site inspections of Syria's chemical, biological and related vehicles". | The draft, according to a copy obtained by Reuters, would then order "immediate on-site inspections of Syria's chemical, biological and related vehicles". |
| The Syrian government has acknowledged it agreed with Russia that it would sign the 1993 chemical weapons convention, provide a full declaration of its arsenal and its locations, and provide access to UN, Russian and other inspectors. The reconciliation minister, Ali Haidar, confirmed to the Associated Press on Wednesday: "There was talk about putting these weapons under international supervision." | The Syrian government has acknowledged it agreed with Russia that it would sign the 1993 chemical weapons convention, provide a full declaration of its arsenal and its locations, and provide access to UN, Russian and other inspectors. The reconciliation minister, Ali Haidar, confirmed to the Associated Press on Wednesday: "There was talk about putting these weapons under international supervision." |
| However, underlining the uncertainty surrounding the Russian plan, Haidar said it was still a "broad headline" that needed to be developed. He added: "There was no talk about moving and transferring control [of the weapons]." | However, underlining the uncertainty surrounding the Russian plan, Haidar said it was still a "broad headline" that needed to be developed. He added: "There was no talk about moving and transferring control [of the weapons]." |
| The news that Moscow had handed its plan to Washington came from a Russian news agency. Interfax, the state agency, quoted a Russian government source as saying: "The Russian side has already given the United States the plan for fulfilling the initiative to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control … We expect to look at it during the meeting in Geneva with US secretary of state John Kerry." | The news that Moscow had handed its plan to Washington came from a Russian news agency. Interfax, the state agency, quoted a Russian government source as saying: "The Russian side has already given the United States the plan for fulfilling the initiative to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control … We expect to look at it during the meeting in Geneva with US secretary of state John Kerry." |
| Going into the talks, Kerry said the US was still pushing for a UN resolution that would punish Syria if it delayed or broke off the disarmament process, but was prepared to listen to the Russian point of view. | Going into the talks, Kerry said the US was still pushing for a UN resolution that would punish Syria if it delayed or broke off the disarmament process, but was prepared to listen to the Russian point of view. |
| "We need a full resolution from the security council in order to have confidence that this has the force that it ought to have. That's our belief and obviously the Russians are at a slightly different place. We'll have to see where we get to. I'm not going to negotiate this out in public," the secretary of state said in answer to questions on an online chat forum. | "We need a full resolution from the security council in order to have confidence that this has the force that it ought to have. That's our belief and obviously the Russians are at a slightly different place. We'll have to see where we get to. I'm not going to negotiate this out in public," the secretary of state said in answer to questions on an online chat forum. |
| The president of France, Francois Hollande, also signalled flexibility on the wording of a resolution. A statement from the presidency, released after a meeting of Hollande's defence council, said: "The president emphasised France's determination to explore all avenues at the United Nations security council, in order to enable actual and verifiable control of the chemical weapons present in Syria as soon as possible." | The president of France, Francois Hollande, also signalled flexibility on the wording of a resolution. A statement from the presidency, released after a meeting of Hollande's defence council, said: "The president emphasised France's determination to explore all avenues at the United Nations security council, in order to enable actual and verifiable control of the chemical weapons present in Syria as soon as possible." |
| France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, is due in Moscow next Tuesday to discuss the issue with Lavrov and may visit Beijing on Monday for talks with the Chinese government, which has been non-committal on France's draft resolution. | France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, is due in Moscow next Tuesday to discuss the issue with Lavrov and may visit Beijing on Monday for talks with the Chinese government, which has been non-committal on France's draft resolution. |
| In a televised address to the American people on Tuesday night, Obama laid a path towards a possible diplomatic resolution to the impasse, He pledged to work directly but insisted military strikes remained a possibility. | In a televised address to the American people on Tuesday night, Obama laid a path towards a possible diplomatic resolution to the impasse, He pledged to work directly but insisted military strikes remained a possibility. |
| However in what were his most dovish remarks since his administration began briefing two weeks ago that a strike was imminent, Obama said he would wait for the United Nations inspectors to complete their report on the 21 August chemical attacks outside Damascus before taking further action. He said there were "encouraging signs" of a political resolution. | However in what were his most dovish remarks since his administration began briefing two weeks ago that a strike was imminent, Obama said he would wait for the United Nations inspectors to complete their report on the 21 August chemical attacks outside Damascus before taking further action. He said there were "encouraging signs" of a political resolution. |
| In London, officials revealed that Britain approved the export to Syria of more chemicals that could be used to make sarin, a powerful nerve agent, than had previously been acknowledged. | In London, officials revealed that Britain approved the export to Syria of more chemicals that could be used to make sarin, a powerful nerve agent, than had previously been acknowledged. |
| Five export licences were approved for the sale of more than 4,000kg of sodium fluoride between 2004 and 2010. They were on top of exports approved last year of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride under licences but subsequently revoked on the grounds they could be used as precursor chemicals in the manufacture of weapons. | Five export licences were approved for the sale of more than 4,000kg of sodium fluoride between 2004 and 2010. They were on top of exports approved last year of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride under licences but subsequently revoked on the grounds they could be used as precursor chemicals in the manufacture of weapons. |
| The five licences were revealed by Vince Cable, the business secretary, in a letter to Sir Robert Stanley, chairman of the Commons committee on export controls. | The five licences were revealed by Vince Cable, the business secretary, in a letter to Sir Robert Stanley, chairman of the Commons committee on export controls. |
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