US and Russia agree Syria chemical weapons deal in Geneva

BBC NEWS

14 SEPTEMBER 2013

The United States and Russia have agreed a plan to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons by the middle of next year.

The American Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, announced that the Syrian government would be given seven days to declare all its stocks and must provide “unfettered” access to international inspectors.

Commenting on the decision, Director of the ODFS, Ribal Al-Assad said:

“I very much welcome this development and am pleased that such a positive step has been taken.

It is universally accepted that the use of chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction is deplorable and a despicable war crime; with this in mind any step to remove them from the theatre of conflict should be applauded.

I am pleased that the Syrian government has agreed to this request and commend all parties involved for brokering this deal.

It is now vital that the U.N. Inspectors are able to conclude their report, we must find out exactly what happened in Damascus the other week – it is absolutely imperative that the perpetrators of that most heinous crime are held to account for their actions.

It is the duty of the International Community to work towards a Middle East free from all Weapons of Mass Destruction and I hope that this will be realised in time.

I look forward to monitoring developments closely on this matter.”