Diplomacy

US-Russia reach landmark deal on destruction of Syria chemical weapons arsenal

Russia and the United States reached a deal on a framework that will see the destruction or removal of Syria’s chemical weapons by mid- 2014. Under the plan, the Assad government has one week to hand over an inventory of its chemical weapons arsenal.

RT,

14 September, 2013

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry announced the plan on putting an end to Syria’s chemical weapons program following their third day of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Kerry outlined several points of the plan, which would see the “rapid assumption of control by the international community” of Syria’s chemical weapons. He further stressed US-Russia commitment to the complete destruction of not only of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, but also its production and refinement capabilities.

Syria will also become a party to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which outlaws their production and use. On Saturday, the UN said it had received all documents necessary for Syria to join the chemical weapons convention and that Syria would come under the treaty in 30 days starting on October 14.

Damascus must submit within a week’s time – “and not 30 days” – a complete inventory of related arms, “including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents, types of munitions, and location and form of storage, production and research and development facilities."

The Syrian government should provide the OPCW, the UN and other supporting personnel “with the immediate and unfettered right to inspect any and all sites in Syria.” Lavrov later said that security for all international inspectors on the ground should be provided for not only by the government, but opposition forces as well.

It remains undecided who will actually be tasked with destroying the stock, although their destruction “outside of Syria" and under “OPWC supervision” would prove to be optimal.

On the timetable, Kerry said UN inspectors must be on the ground no later than November, while the destruction of chemical weapons must be completed by the middle of 2014.

"Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but also their neighbors," Kerry said adding that Russian and US teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of the existing stockpile and that Syria must destroy all of its weapons. It was possible that the Syrian rebels have some chemical weapons, he acknowledged.

If Damascus fails to comply with the plan, a response in accordance with UN Charter Chapter 7 will follow, Kerry said, in a reference to the use of military force. The chapter provides for "action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security" in the event other measures fail.

But Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the agreement did not include any potential use of force against Syria. He however said that deviations from the plan, including attacks on UN inspectors, would be brought to the UN Security Council, which would decide on further action.

There is no prior agreement about what form the Security Council’s measures might take if Syria does not comply, Kerry said.

The joint press conference was rather jovial in nature, contrasting sharply with the public barbs which have been traded between Russian and US officials in recent days.

Kerry in fact concluded the press conference by teasing Lavrov that he “could be a senator” after the Russian FM gave a rather voluble reply to a question posed by a Russian journalist. 


Kick starting Geneva II

Meanwhile, both sides reiterated previously stated intentions to meet with Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, on the margins of the UN General Assembly on September 28.

Speaking alongside Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, Brahimi said ongoing work to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control was a necessary step for convening the Geneva II conference. The conference, which is intended to hammer out a political solution to the brutal civil war which has embroiled Syria for over two years, could be held in October, Lavrov told reporters.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present a report to the Security Council which sources say contains overwhelming evidence that “chemical weapons were used” in an August 21 attack in a Damascus Suburb which killed between 355 and 1,729 people.

The government of Bashar Assad strongly denied government forces were responsible for the attack, while the West overwhelmingly blamed Damascus, prompting US Barack Obama’s threat of military action.

Obama has threatened to strike Syria unilaterally, prompting Russia’s Saturday’s joint proposal which will see Syria’s chemical weapons brought under international control.

Although President Assad immediately acquiesced to the Russian-backed plan, rebel forces have resisted efforts which have staved off Western intervention in the country.

On Saturday,  the Free Syrian Army rejected a US-Russian deal as a stalling tactic and vowed to continue fighting to topple the Assad government.

"The Russian-American initiative does not concern us. It only seeks to gain time," said Salim Idriss, the chief of the FSA command, said.

"We completely ignore this initiative and will continue to fight to bring down the regime," he told a press conference Saturday in the Turkish city of Istanbul. 


‘US prepared to act’ if diplomacy fails on Syria – Obama

President Barack Obama has welcomed an agreement on the Syrian chemical weapons reached during the US-Russian talks in Geneva, but warned that America will remain prepared to act if diplomatic efforts fail.

RT,

14 September, 2013

The statement comes hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrapped up their three-day talks in Geneva, where they reached a deal on handling the Syrian chemical arms arsenal. The goal is the destruction or removal Syrian chemical weapons by mid-2014.  Damascus has also been given one week to submit a comprehensive list of such weapons.

Obama welcomed the progress made in Geneva, which, in his words, represents “an important, concrete step toward the goal of moving Syria's chemical weapons under international control.”

In a statement issued by the White House, the US president said that the framework also provided the opportunity for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons “in a transparent, expeditious, and verifiable manner, which could end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but to the region and the world.”

Obama underlined that the international community expected the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime to live up to its public commitments.

He added that Washington will continue working with the UN, Russia, France, the UK and other international players to “ensure that this process is verifiable” and that there will be consequences should the Syrian regime not comply with the framework agreed on Saturday in Geneva.

“And, if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act,” Obama stated.

Yet again, the US president blamed the Syrian government for the chemical weapons use on August 21 in a Damascus suburb.

While it is not contested that chemical weapons were used, the international community is at odds as to who was behind incident – the Assad government or rebel groups. Both sides have blamed each other.

Russia believes that the chemical attack in Ghouta near Damascus was fabricated, Lavrov said on Saturday in an interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel.

“At this point there is plenty of evidence made by independent experts, including on-site, in particular provided by a nun from the nearby convent, there are other witnesses, Western correspondents have been there. Besides, experts in Europe and the US, including twelve retired employees of the Pentagon and the CIA, as you know sent, an open letter to President Obama, explaining how it was all fabricated,” explained Lavrov.

The US claims though that it has evidence proving that the regime ordered the use of the weapons of mass destruction, but have so far failed to make any such facts public. Following the attack, Obama was pushing for Congress authorization for a “limited” military strike in response to the August incident.

The decision was put on hold though after Russia proposed that Damascus should place its chemical arms under international control and join the international treaty prohibiting the production, stockpiling and the use of such weapons.  The Syrian government accepted the proposal, which was then discussed in detail by Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva.

“In part because of the credible threat of US military force, we now have the opportunity to achieve our objectives through diplomacy,” Obama said in a statement Saturday.

In conclusion, the American president pointed out that the use of “chemical weapons anywhere in the world is an affront to human dignity and a threat to the security of people everywhere.”  He went on to say that “we have a duty” to preserve a world free from the fear of chemical weapons for our children” and today marks an important step towards achieving this goal.

On Thursday, Syria submitted documents to the UN required for the legal accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“Legally speaking Syria has become, starting today, a full member of the convention,” Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari told reporters in New York.  He also said that Assad had signed a legislative decree approving Syria’s accession to the convention and that the country’s Foreign Minister Walid Moualem had written to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to notify it of Damascus’ decision, which is enough to legally join the treaty. 

The UN confirmed on Saturday receiving the documents that Syria submitted for joining the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“The Convention will enter into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on the 30th day following the date of deposit of this instrument of accession, namely on 14 October 2013,” the UN press office said in a statement, Reuters cites.

US, Russia contacted Syria directly to get chemical weapons data – Lavrov

Russia and the US directly communicated with the Syrian authorities to obtain data on chemical weapons, said Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov. He added that Syria gave certain guarantees on chemical weapons use even prior to its entry into the OPCW.

RT,

14 September, 2013

"We worked directly with the Syrians in order to also understand how safe it all is there," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with "Saturday News" program on Rossiya 1 TV channel following his resultative meeting with US Secretary John Kerry in Geneva.

"The American side, perhaps, now we can say about it, also directly contacted the Syrian government to get clarification on this particular issue,” Lavrov said noting that he was not certain whether the US was in contact directly with Bashar Assad, but “they were in contact to see how safe is the storage of chemical weapons.” 

The Foreign Minister assured that Damascus gave a written guarantee that it will begin to fulfill the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention from the moment the government applied, without waiting for official confirmation of accession. 

On Thursday, Syria’s UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari stated that Syria had “legally” become a full member of the global anti-chemical weapons treaty. This followed President Bashar Assad signing a legislative decree that "declared the Syrian Arab Republic approval to accede to the convention," while Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem had written to the OPCW to notify them about accession.

In his Saturday remarks, Lavrov praised Damascus's active role in efforts to settle the crisis which allowed Russia and the US to agree so quickly on terms of putting the Syrian chemical weapons under international control.

"Damascus was the one to make the crucial step that allowed us to prepare all documents for the entry to Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) so promptly,” he said. 

On Saturday the UN said it had received all documents necessary for Syria to join the chemical weapons convention and that Syria would come under the treaty in 30 days starting on October 14. While the OPCW is to consider Syria’s inquiry in the following week.

Earlier on Saturday, following a third day of negotiations in Geneva, Russia and the US came to an agreement over the complete destruction of not only Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, but also its production and refinement capabilities until the middle of 2014.

US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that Damascus must submit within a week’s time a complete list of chemical arms, “including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents, types of munitions, and location and form of storage, production and research and development facilities."

If Damascus fails to do so an international response will follow in accordance with UN Charter Chapter 7, Kerry added. Though the chapter allows "action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security" if other measures fail, the deal did not include the automatic use of any military action against Syria.  

The talks in Geneva were prompted by the August 21 Ghouta attack  in which allegedly chemical weapons were used, causing casualties that ranged from dozens to 1,300 according to different reports, and the US threatening to use military force in Syria "to deter" a repetition of such incidents.

Russia believes that the alleged August 21 chemical attack in Ghouta near Damascus was fabricated, said the Foreign Minister to Rossiya 1 TV channel.

“At this point there is plenty of evidence made by independent experts, including on-site, in particular provided by a nun from the nearby convent, there are other witnesses, Western correspondents have been there. Besides, experts in Europe and the US, including twelve retired employees of the Pentagon and the CIA, as you know sent, an open letter to President Obama, explaining how it was all fabricated,” explained Lavrov.

He reiterated that Russian experts have also presented evidence that chemical weapons were used by the rebels, not the Assad government. Earlier, during the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Lavrov recognized that “unfortunately a lot has been actually done by bad people who, one way or another, used chemical warfare agents."

Lavrov also urged the re-examination of reports concerning the delivery of weapons, maybe even chemical agents to Syria.

“All this must be brought to the UN Security Council for investigation. Channels, if confirmed, should be identified and should be blocked immediately,” Lavrov added. 

There have been various reports of different countries supplying Syrian rebels with arms, but recently the UK media revealed British companies sold sodium fluoride, a key ingredient in the manufacture of the nerve gas sarin, to Syrian firms between 2004 and 2010. Sarin, considered one of the world’s most dangerous chemical warfare agents, was allegedly used in the August 21 Ghouta attack. 

Moreover, in the past two weeks the US has begun delivering conventional arms to militants fighting the Syrian government, after Washington’s decision to open the way for arms and munitions, according to Washington Post report.  The CIA is reportedly to monitor the delivery so that the aid does not end up in the hands of Al-Qaeda militants.