U.S. rejects Syria's 30-day deadline for submitting chemical weapons data

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has rejected Syria's 30-day deadline for submitting information on its chemical weapons.

Speaking at a news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kerry said it was standard procedure for a country to submit its weapons data a month after signing an international chemical weapons ban.

He however said that there is nothing standard about this process, adding that the words of the Syrian regime in their judgement are simply not enough.

According to Sky News, he warned that the United States could launch a military strike if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad backed from his promises.

Earlier, Assad agreed to sign up an international agreement that would put his weapons under UN supervision, saying that he would hand over information on them in 30 days.

Kerry is in Geneva for high-stakes talks with Lavrov to discuss Russia's four-point plan to place Syria's chemical stockpile under international control, the report said.

Meanwhile, Assad joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in pressuring the Obama administration to abandon military threats against Syria.

He suggested that an emerging plan to have the Assad regime turn over its chemical weapons could only proceed if the U.S. backs down, the report added.