Following Secretary of State Kerry’s suggestion that Syria could avert a US attack by giving up “every bit” of it chemical arsenal to the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pressed his Syrian counterpart al-Moallem to agree to Kerry’s proposal. al-Moallem said that that Syria was ready for “full cooperation with Russia to remove any pretext for aggression.” More at the Russia Today
UPDATE!
US weighs talk of Syria dumping chemical weapons
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WASHINGTON (AP) – Confronted by the threat of U.S. air strikes, Syria swiftly welcomed the idea of turning over all of its chemical weapons for destruction on Monday, capping a remarkable chain of events that started with a suggestion from Secretary of State John Kerry, followed by a proposal from Russia and immediate endorsement by the U.N. secretary-general. The Obama administration continued to express deep skepticism about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s intentions, and the president pressed his efforts to gain congressional backing for U.S. military action. But he faces a decidedly uphill fight – and serious doubts by the American public – and Monday’s developments could provide him with a way out of a messy political and foreign policy bind.