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Syria Takes Steps to Join Weapons Treaty as U.S.-Russian Talks Begin
Syria Takes Steps to Join Weapons Treaty as U.S.-Russian Talks Begin
(about 3 hours later)
GENEVA — Secretary of State John Kerry and a team of American arms control experts began talks with Russian counterparts Thursday on a plan to secure and dispose of Syria chemical arsenal, and he set an early test for the Syrian leader by insisting on quick disclosure of the weapons as the country announced it had joined a treaty banning their use.
GENEVA — Secretary of State John Kerry set an early test for Syria’s top leader on Thursday by insisting on quick disclosure of data on that country’s arsenal of chemical weapons.
In a joint appearance before their talks on Thursday evening, Mr. Kerry and the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, told reporters they were serious about pursuing a diplomatic solution to the chemical weapons crisis provoked by the apparent use of those munitions in a mass killing last month in a Damascus suburb.
Mr. Kerry’s demand came as he began talks with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, on a plan to secure and dispose of Syria’s poison gas.
The United States has blamed President Bashar al-Assad of Syria for that attack but has delayed a punitive military strike following the disposal plan put forward by Russia, the Syrian government’s most important backer. Russia has defended Mr. Assad, suggested that the rebels seeking to topple him were responsible, and warned that an American military strike would only create more instability in the Middle East.
Earlier on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria announced publicly that his country had formally applied to join the chemical weapons treaty. According to the treaty’s terms, Syria would be required to submit a declaration detailing the types, quantities and locations of all its chemical weapons and the locations of all facilities for producing them within 60 days of formally joining the accord.
“Expectations are high,” Mr. Kerry said. “They’re high for the United States, perhaps even more so for Russia, to deliver on the promise of this moment.”
But Mr. Kerry said that the normal procedures were far too slow because Mr. Assad’s government had used chemical weapons against its own people.
The meeting began after Mr. Assad, whose government is believed to have amassed one of the world’s largest stockpiles of chemical munitions, announced for the first time publicly that he had endorsed the Russian disposal plan and would formally apply for Syrian membership in the International Convention on Chemical Weapons, which bans the manufacture, use or stockpiling of chemical arms. The United Nations confirmed that it had received Syria's application.
“There is nothing standard about this process because of the way the regime has behaved,” Mr. Kerry said. “The words of the Syrian regime in our judgment are simply not enough.”
Mr. Assad’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, even told reporters that as far as Syria was concerned it had signed the treaty. “Legally speaking Syria has become, starting today, a full member of the convention,” Mr. Jaafari said.
A spokeswoman for Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, made a similar point in a statement.
The submission of the application gives Mr. Assad’s government 30 days to declare its stockpile of banned munitions for sequestering and destruction under international supervision.
“Syria needs to take immediate actions to disclose, surrender and eliminate its chemical weapons stockpile under international monitoring and verification,” said the spokeswoman, Erin Pelton. “Statements without action are wholly insufficient for a country that has had a secret, enormous chemical weapons program for decades.”
But Mr. Kerry said that the standard procedures were too slow because Mr. Assad’s government had used chemical weapons against its own people.
With a tableau of American and Russian flags behind them, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov stood side by side in a public show of joint purpose. But differences quickly re-emerged as Mr. Lavrov emphasized that the “solution of this problem will remove any need for a strike.”
“There is nothing standard about this process,” Mr. Kerry said. “The words of the Syrian regime in our judgment are simply not enough.”
Mr. Kerry emphasized that “only the credible threat of force” had prompted Mr. Assad to acknowledge that his nation possessed chemical weapons in the first place, and that a military option was needed to ensure that Mr. Assad fulfilled his promises.
With a tableau of American and Russian flags behind them, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov stood side by side in a public show of joint purpose. But differences quickly re-emerged. Mr. Lavrov stressed that the “solution of this problem will remove any need for a strike.”
At the end of their presentations, Mr. Lavrov seemed surprised by the length and tone of Mr. Kerry’s statement. “I’m not prepared with the extended political statement,” Mr. Lavrov said. “Diplomacy likes silence.”
Mr. Kerry emphasized that “only the credible threat of force” had prompted Mr. Assad to acknowledge that his nation possessed chemical weapons in the first place and that a military option was needed to ensure that Mr. Assad fulfilled his promises.
At the end of their joint appearance, Mr. Kerry noted that he had not heard some of Mr. Lavrov’s remarks, which had been translated, and asked that the interpreter repeat them.
At the end of their presentations, Mr. Lavrov seemed surprised by the length and tone of Mr. Kerry’s statement. “I’m not prepared with the extended political statement,” Mr. Lavrov said, “Diplomacy likes silence.”
Turning to Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lavrov joked in English that that was not necessary. “Don’t worry,” he said.
In a telling exchange at the end of their joint appearance, Mr. Kerry noted that he had not heard some of Mr. Lavrov’s translated remarks and asked that the interpreter to repeat them. Turning to Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lavrov said in English that was not necessary.
“You want me to take your word for it?” Mr. Kerry said with a smile. “It is a little early for that.”
“You have to take my word for it,” Mr. Lavrov said jokingly.
The two men then left to meet together along with their teams of arms control experts. The American and Russian officials were to meet again on Friday and probably on Saturday.
“It is a little early for that,” Mr. Kerry responded with a smile.
Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov met at the same Geneva hotel where Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the secretary of state, presented Mr. Lavrov with a red “reset” button in 2009 to symbolize the Obama administration’s efforts to improve ties with Moscow — an effort largely stymied since Vladimir V. Putin resumed his role as Russia’s president.
The two men then left to meet along with their teams of arms control experts.
American officials say they hope Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov can work out an effective plan, but they are wary of the United States being drawn into prolonged talks that would serve as a tactic to delay, and perhaps prevent, an American-led military strike.
Adding another twist, Mr. Kerry and his Russian counterpart met at the same Geneva hotel where Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the secretary of state, presented Mr. Lavrov with a red “reset” button in 2009 to symbolize the Obama administration’s efforts to improve ties with Moscow — an effort that so far has been largely stymied since Vladimir A. Putin resumed his role as Russia’s president.
One test will be the willingness of Russia and Syria to accept “a rapid beginning to international control” that would preclude the Assad government from gaining access to chemical weapons or using them, said a senior State Department official who was traveling on Mr. Kerry’s plane.
The Geneva meeting began as Mr. Assad, whose government had not acknowledged possessing the weapons until this week, publicly agreed to the Russian disposal plan. In an interview from Damascus broadcast on Russian television, he said he was acting solely on the basis of advice from Russia. “Threats made by the U.S. did not influence our decision to permit monitoring of our chemical weapons by the international community,” Mr. Assad said.
Coming up with a verifiable plan to inspect, control and dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons during a civil war is a daunting task. Though Obama administration officials have said that the problem of Syria’s chemical weapons has been discussed with the Russians for more than a year, the two sides have not yet talked about it in detail.
He also said Syria had begun submitting documents required to join the Convention on Chemical Weapons, the international treaty signed by most countries renouncing the use of chemical munitions. At the United Nations, Farhan Haq, a spokesman, confirmed that it had received a letter from the Syrian government stating its intention to become a treaty member. “This starts the process under way,” he told reporters at a daily briefing.
For example, the United States and Russia have yet to compare intelligence on the quantities of Syria’s chemical stocks, their main elements and their locations. American officials have declassified intelligence reports and plan to begin that process here.
American officials said they were planning a series of tests to determine if the Russian government, and, more important, Mr. Assad, were serious about accepting international control of Syria’s huge chemical arsenal.
One test will be the willingness of Russia and Syria to accept “a rapid beginning to international control” that would preclude the Assad government from gaining access to chemical weapons or using them, said a senior State Department official who was traveling on Mr. Kerry’s plane to Geneva.
Another test is how much candor the Syrian government is prepared to show about its chemical weapons stocks and production facilities. “There are some specific things that we can ask for, and see if they get delivered very quickly, that will give us an early sense of whether there is reality here or not,” said the State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under department protocols.
The Syrian government, the official said, could “declare all of their stockpile quickly.”
Mr. Kerry met Thursday afternoon with Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations envoy who would play a major role if talks on a potential political settlement in Syria were resumed. Mr. Kerry conferred with Mr. Lavrov’s delegation Thursday evening. The American-Russian talks will continue on Friday and probably on Saturday.
American officials have been hoping that Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov can cobble together an effective plan but are wary of being drawn into prolonged talks that would serve as a delaying tactic to prevent an American-led military strike.
The task of coming up with a verifiable plan to inspect, control and dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons during a civil war is daunting. Though Obama administration officials have said the problem of Syria’s chemical weapons has been discussed with the Russians for more than a year, the two sides have not yet talked about the problem in detail.
For example, the United States and Russia have yet to compare intelligence on the size of Syria’s chemical stocks, their main elements and their locations. American officials have declassified intelligence reports and plan to begin that process here.
“What we will be looking at is the chemical weapons stockpiles, the production facilities, precursor chemicals,” the State Department official said. “And to the extent that there are munitions that are used to spread those chemical weapons in whatever manner, that obviously is part of dismantling and destroying the chemical weapons that Assad has.”
“What we will be looking at is the chemical weapons stockpiles, the production facilities, precursor chemicals,” the State Department official said. “And to the extent that there are munitions that are used to spread those chemical weapons in whatever manner, that obviously is part of dismantling and destroying the chemical weapons that Assad has.”
How to protect any inspectors who would examine Syria’s weapons and which nations would supply the monitors are also important questions.
A major concern is how to conduct inspections safely in the middle of a civil war, to make sure that the Assad government is not hiding some of its stockpile.
While American officials are still waiting for the Russians to present a detailed plan, some elements were described by Russian officials and in news reports in Moscow.
Gary Samore, the senior aide on nonproliferation issues at the National Security Council during President Obama’s first term, said that the Assad government would be reluctant to give up its entire arsenal because it valued poison gas as a deterrent against Israel and a weapon to attack Syrian rebels.
The proposal that Russia has presented for resolving the crisis over chemical weapons in Syria would unfold in stages that could take months to put into place.
“What Assad might make is a partial declaration of the chemical weapons he is willing to put under international control and keep a significant portion in his back pocket,” said Mr. Samore, who is the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard.
After signing the chemical weapons treaty, according to a diplomatic official cited by the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Syria will be required to reveal the sites of its chemical arsenal to the organization that oversees the treaty. Inspectors would then be dispatched to verify those declarations, a potentially laborious effort complicated by the uncertain security situation in the country.
Mr. Kerry also met Thursday afternoon with Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations envoy who would play a major role if talks on a potential political settlement in Syria were resumed here.
Mr. Lavrov, in remarks posted on the Foreign Ministry’s Web site, said he and Mr. Kerry would be consulting disarmament experts from both countries “to determine which steps are concretely required in order to safeguard the corresponding storage places and arsenals.”
But Mr. Obama’s decision to delay any military action and explore a disarmament plan with the Russians, who have been a main supplier of arms to the Assad government, has distressed much of the Syrian opposition and raised fresh questions about whether the rebels would even take part in a peace conference.
American officials said Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov would not be negotiating the terms of a United Nations resolution in Geneva. That will be done at the United Nations. But the technical talks here will inform that process.
“They’re upset,” a senior State Department official said. “They don’t trust this at all.”
The French, with American and British support, have drafted a Security Council resolution that would authorize the use of force under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter if Syria balked at complying with a disarmament plan. In contrast, the Russians have proposed that the president of the Security Council issue a nonbinding statement.
Mr. Lavrov has suggested that the proposal will succeed only if the United States abandons the threat of force, but it is not clear whether the Russians will insist on an explicit commitment from the Americans or others not to launch strikes in exchange for Syria’s cooperation with international inspectors.
President Obama’s decision to delay any military action and explore a disarmament plan with the Russians, who have been one of the main arms suppliers to the Assad government, has distressed much of the Syrian opposition. One American official who deals with the Syrian rebels said they were upset by the development.
“They don’t trust this at all,” he said. “So we’re asking them not to prejudge. I mean, what matters to Syrians inside Syria is for chemical weapons not to be used again.”
In a recent statement, Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the military wing of the Syrian opposition, rejected the Russian initiative and said the Syrians who carried out the Aug. 21 chemical attack near Damascus that started the current crisis must be punished.
In a recent statement, Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the military wing of the Syrian opposition, rejected the Russian initiative and said the Syrians who carried out the Aug. 21 chemical attack near Damascus that started the current crisis must be punished.
Mr. Lavrov said the meeting in Geneva would also provide an opportunity to discuss reviving the stalled effort he and Mr. Kerry announced in Moscow in May to organize an international conference between Syria’s government and rebel forces aimed at finding a political resolution to the civil war. He said Syria’s government had agreed to attend those talks but the United States and other nations had failed to persuade “the irreconcilable Syrian opposition” to do so.
In an effort to address their fears, Mr. Kerry spoke Thursday with General Idris and Ahmad al-Jarba, the president of the Syrian opposition, and sought to assure them that the military option remained on the table and that the Obama administration would insist that any understanding about Syria’s chemical weapons be verifiable and “enforceable,” a State Department official said.
Adding to the complexity of the diplomatic task is the reality that even if a deal is reached, it will take a year or more to destroy Syria’s chemical stores. One estimate by Pentagon officials determined that Mr. Assad has 1,400 tons of sarin, VX and mustard agents, and that it would take at least 200 to 300 days to take control of the weapons and, short of destruction, make them unusable.
Michael
R. Gordon reported from Geneva, and Steven Lee Myers from Moscow.
“But we don’t have ideal conditions — far from it,” said one senior official who has studied the problem intensively, referring to the raging civil war in Syria. Until the chemical weapons are neutralized, they will have to be heavily guarded to keep both Mr. Assad’s forces and rebel groups from seizing them. But it is unclear who would be willing to take on that task in the midst of the fighting. Mr. Obama repeated on Tuesday that there would be no American “boots on the ground” in Syria.
Michael R. Gordon reported from Geneva, and Steven Lee Myers from Moscow. Andrew Roth contributed reporting from Moscow, and Rick Gladstone from New York.
