Speaking on Russia’s Rossiya 24, President Assad says the US must “stop supplying terrorists with weapons”
The Russian and US foreign ministers have begun a crucial meeting in Geneva on a plan to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control.
Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry said they hoped the plan could avoid military action against Syria.
The UN has confirmed it has received documents from Syria on joining the Chemical Weapons Convention, a key step in the Russian plan.
Syria’s president said it would submit arms data one month after signing.
The US accuses the Syrian government of killing hundreds in a chemical attack in the Ghouta area of the capital, Damascus, on 21 August. The government denies the allegation, blaming rebels.
Russia announced its proposal for dealing with the escalating chemical weapons crisis on Monday, as the US Congress was preparing to vote on whether to back President Barack Obama’s moves towards military strikes.
‘Doable but difficult’
In a press conference ahead of the Geneva talks, Mr Lavrov said the resolution of the chemical weapons issue in Syria would make any military strike by the United States unnecessary.
Mr Kerry said that only the threat of force had spurred Syria to accept relinquishing its chemical weapons, but that he hoped diplomacy could prevent military action.
The BBC’s James Robbins, in Geneva, says these are critical talks, aimed at breaking two and a half years of deadlock over Syria and stripping President Assad of his arsenal of chemical weapons.
Our correspondent says the American and Russian teams, led by Secretary of State Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, are unusually large – packed with weapons experts as well as diplomats.
He says the idea is that detailed talks on the practicalities of chemical disarmament will run in parallel with the hard political graft between Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov – but it is expected to be a lengthy process, as each side tests the other hard to see if they really can find common ground.
US officials had earlier described Russia’s plan as “doable but difficult”.
Mr Lavrov also gave an outline of the three main phases of the proposal:
- Syria joins the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production and use of the weapons
- Syria reveals where its chemical weapons are stored and gives details of its programme
- Experts decide on the specific measures to be taken
Mr Lavrov said: “I am sure that there is a chance for peace in Syria. We cannot let it slip away.”
Before meeting Mr Lavrov, Mr Kerry held talks with UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.
Officials travelling with Mr Kerry said they want a rapid agreement with the Russians on principles for the process, including a demand for Syria to give a quick, complete and public declaration of its stockpile.
‘Not unilateral’
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad earlier appeared on Russian TV to confirm that his country’s chemical weapons would be placed under international control but insisted that “US threats did not influence the decision”.
In his interview, which has not yet been broadcast in full, Mr Assad told state-run Rossiya 24 that Syria was sending relevant documents to the UN as part of the process of signing the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Mr Assad said Syria would then submit information on its chemical weapons one month after signing.
He also said that Russia’s proposal was “not unilateral”, adding: “Syria will accept it if America stops military threats and if other countries supplying the rebels with chemical weapons also abide by the agreement.”
The US postponed plans to launch military strikes on Syria after Russia proposed the disarmament.
Russian media have hailed the move as a diplomatic coup.
BBC News asked people in the Middle East to share their views on a possible military strike against Syria
President Vladimir Putin affirmed this view by writing an opinion piece in the New York Times lambasting US policy, saying strikes would lead to an upsurge in terrorism.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Russian plan “must be treated with great caution”, and experts have pointed out the difficulty of conducting such a process in a war zone.
The main Syrian armed rebel group has already refused to co-operate.
Gen Salim Idriss of the Free Syrian Army said he categorically rejected the plan, and insisted that the most important thing was to punish the perpetrators of chemical attacks.
If the talks in Geneva are successful, the US hopes the disarmament process will be agreed in a UN Security Council resolution.
However, Russia regards as unacceptable any resolution backed by military force, or a resolution that blames the Syrian government for chemical attacks.
Moscow has already objected to a draft resolution that would be enforced by Chapter VII of the UN charter, which would in effect sanction the use of force if Syria failed in its obligations.
Russia, supported by China, has blocked three previous draft resolutions condemning the Assad government.
More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising against President Assad began in 2011.
Source: BBC News
