Simply Politics & News

[ChrisJP]

Russia proposes Syria chemical weapons deal to avert U.S. strike

Its amazing what can happen when you threaten to bomb a place to bits. But I enjoyed all the cracky complaints on this subject over the past week. I'm gonna miss them.

BEIRUT/LONDON (Reuters) - As President Barack Obama struggled to rally Congress and the American people behind military action in Syria, Russia seized on a remark by his secretary of state on Monday to say Damascus should save itself by handing over its chemical weapons.

John Kerry was quick to dismiss as hypothetical his own comment that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avert U.S. strikes by surrendering his chemical arsenal to international control. But Assad's ally Russia quickly turned it into a firm proposal that was "welcomed" by Damascus and echoed by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.

Rebels fighting Assad's forces on the ground, where hundreds are being killed by conventional bullets and explosives every week, dismissed any such weapons transfer as impossible to police and a decoy to frustrate U.S. plans to attack.

The White House said it was "seriously skeptical" but would take a "hard look" at the proposal.

Kerry later called Lavrov to tell him that while his remarks had been rhetorical and the United States was not going to "play games," if there was a serious proposal, then Washington would take a look at it, a senior U.S. official said.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/clashes-renewed-near-syrian-capital-over-historic-christian-120045541.html

Chris