US gives cautious welcome to Russian plan for Syria - US open to Russian proposal for Syria to hand over chemical weapons

• US gives cautious welcome to Russian plan for Syria

  
  White House remains sceptical over whether Syria would hand over chemical weapons
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    US open to Russian proposal for Syria to hand over chemical weapons

    Russia's suggestion for Syria to place weapons under international control made after apparent stumble by John Kerry
  • Dan Roberts in Washington and Julian Borger in London
  • theguardian.com, Monday 9 September 2013 21.30 BST
  

  US deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said 'it would be terrific', but 'the [Syrian] track record does not inspire confidence'. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
  The White House gave a cautious welcome on Monday to a Russian proposal for Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control, opening up the first real chance of a political settlement to the crisis since hundreds of civilians died in an attack on a Damascus suburb last month.
  Russia's suggestion, made as a result of an apparent stumble by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, set off a diplomatic scramble in Washington as administration officials sought to assess whether it offered a way out for Barack Obama from what has become an increasingly intractable problem.
  US deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said "it would be terrific" if Syria followed through the proposal advance by the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, to put its chemical stockpiles under the control of international observers.
  But he nevertheless expressed scepticism over whether it would do so. "Unfortunately, the track record to date does not inspire a lot of confidence," Blinken said.
  The White House said it would work with the Russians to explore the deal, in discussions that would take place "in parallel" with continued efforts in Washington to persuade US lawmakers to authorise the use of military force against Syria.
  A day of intense diplomatic activity began in London, where Kerry suggested that the only way for Syria to avoid the threat of a US attack would be for it to hand over all its chemical weapons within a week. The remarks were characterised as a blunder by some Washington commentators, and the Department of State at first attempted to play down their significance, saying Kerry had been speaking "rhetorically" about a situation that was unlikely to materialise.
  But the comments were immediately seized on by Lavrov, who raised the prospect of international observers supervising such a handover. "If the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes, we will immediately start working with Damascus," Lavrov said.
  "We are calling on the Syrian leadership to not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on its subsequent destruction and fully joining the treaty on prohibition of chemical weapons," Lavrov said after a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem.
  Intentional or not, Kerry's comments opened up a chance to defuse the crisis at a moment when Obama was already struggling to persuade Congress of the need for US intervention. The president was recording a round of primetime TV interviews in the US on Monday evening before delivering a direct address to the nation on Tuesday.
  A key legislative ally, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, said that she would welcome a move by Syria to put chemical weapons beyond use. "I believe that Russia can be most effective in encouraging the Syrian president to stop any use of chemical weapons and place all his chemical munitions, as well as storage facilities, under United Nations control until they can be destroyed," Feinstein said.
  The former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, speaking after a hastily arranged meeting with Obama at the White House, where she was due to speak at an event about illegal wildlife trafficking, said the move could represent an "important step". In her first comments about the Syria crisis, Clinton warned that it could not make "another excuse for delay or obstruction".
  Kerry later spoke to Lavrov by phone and Washington scrambled to place its own spin on the unexpected developments. Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, insisted that the offer by Russia and Syria had only come about because of "sustained pressure" from the US.
  "It is our position, and has been for some time, that the Syrian regime should not use and also not possess stockpiles of chemical weapons, and we would welcome any proposals that would result in the international control and destruction of that chemical weapon stockpile," he said at a White House briefing.
  "There is no question that we have seen some indications of an acceptance of this proposal [from the Syrians], but this is a very early stage and we approach this with scepticism," he added.
  The proposal was welcomed by the UN and a number of European governments. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he would propose the security council unite and vote on an immediate chemical weapons transfer, placing weapons and chemical precursors in a safe place within Syria for international destruction.
  Earlier, Ban said that he hoped that a forthcoming report by UN inspectors on the 21 August attack on a rebel-held area east of Damascus called Ghouta, which the US says killed more than 1,400 people, would spur the international community into action.
  "Two and half years of conflict in Syria have produced only embarrassing paralysis in the security council," Ban said at a press conference.
  The French government has said it would wait for the UN report, being prepared by a Swedish scientist, Åke Sellström, before making a final decision on taking part in military action.
  The Sellström report is unlikely to come before the end of this week, diplomatic sources said. The samples brought back from a two-week visit are being studied in four European laboratories, to ensure that the result is conclusive.
  In the British parliament, David Cameron responded positively but cautiously to Russia's move, saying if it was a genuine offer, it should be regarded as a big step forward.
  Downing Street initially indicated that the Kerry proposal was not serious, pointing out that the idea had not been raised during the lengthy discussion on Syria at the G20 dinner in St Petersburg. They added that the focus should be on Assad's record with chemical weapons.
  But in a Commons debate on the G20 and Syria, Cameron said it would be "hugely welcome" if the Assad regime were to hand over its chemical weapons stockpile.
  Susan Rice, the US national security adviser, said that "even greater barbarism" would follow if the US did not take military action against Assad.
  "The decision our nation makes in the coming days is being watching in capitols around the world, especially in Teheran or Pyongyang," Rice told an audience at the New America Foundation in Washington on Monday.
  Rice, the former US ambassador to the UN, did not address Russia's offer for Assad to relinquish his chemical stockpiles.
  Additional reporting by Spencer Ackerman in Washington and Patrick Wintour in London
  
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