Juan Cole: How Putin Saved Obama, Congress and the EU from Further Embarrassing themselves on Syria

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52. Just in: Putin to RT: "Syria chem arms handover will work only if US calls off strike"

Just now from RT

Putin to RT: Syria chem arms handover will work only if US calls off strike
Published time: September 10, 2013 17:00


Speaking exclusively to RT, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Syria’s chemical arms handover will only work if the US and its allies renounce the use of force against Damascus.

"Certainly, this is all reasonable, it will function and will work out, only if the US and those who support it on this issue pledge to renounce the use of force, because it is difficult to make any country – Syria or any other country in the world – to unilaterally disarm if there is military action against it under consideration," President Putin told exclusively to RT on Tuesday.

Putin said the disarmament of Syria’s chemical weapons had been extensively discussed by experts and politicians.

The Russian president said that he and President Barack Obama had “indeed discussed” such a possibility on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg last week.

It was agreed, Putin said, “to instruct Secretary of State (John Kerry) and Foreign Minister (Sergey Lavrov) to get in touch” and “try to move this idea forward.”

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Despite voicing “some serious skepticism,” Western countries supported the move, stressing the importance of Assad fulfilling the agreement and surrendering the weapons stockpiles.

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In response to Russia’s proposal, Obama said he was willing to “absolutely” put on pause a military strike on Syria if Assad accepts the offer.

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http://rt.com/news/putin-syria-chemical-weapons-669/