Syria says Russian-U.S. deal on chemical weapons 'victory' for country

Syria welcomes the agreement as it will help the country come out of the crisis

A senior Syrian minister has said the United States-Russia deal on Syria's chemical weapons is a victory that averts war.

Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar said that he welcomed the agreement, adding that it will help Syria come out of the crisis.

He added that the framework agreement will help avoid the war against Syria, depriving those who wanted to launch it.

Haider thanked his Russian friends for securing the deal calling it a victory for Syria. The framework document has asked Syria to provide full details of its stockpile within a week, with the chemical arsenal eliminated by mid-2014.

According to the BBC, the agreements said that if Syria fails to comply, the deal could be enforced by a UN resolution with the use of force as a last resort.

The U.S. had threatened to attack Syria for a chemical weapons attack in 21 August, which killed hundreds.

The report said that the deal was announced after three days of talks in Geneva by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.