UK, France welcome Syrian chemical arms deal, Ban sceptical

UN chief Ban Ki-moon today expressed his scepticism about Syria's President sticking to any plan to put his chemical weapons under international watch, after the US and Russia hammered out a deal to eliminate the stockpile by mid-2014.

"The Secretary-General expresses his fervent hope that the agreement will, first, prevent any future use of chemical weapons in Syria and, second, help pave the path for a political solution to stop the appalling suffering inflicted on the Syrian people," UN spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said.

Ban pledged UN support to implementing the accord but expressed scepticism that President Bashar al-Assad would keep to any plan for placing Syria's chemical weapons under international control.
 

The UN chief said before the deal was announced that a peace conference could be held in October if all sides agreed.

After nearly three days of intensive negotiations in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the landmark deal was announced today.

Kerry outlined a six-point framework under which Syria must hand over a full list of its stockpile within a week and allow "immediate, unfettered access" to its chemical sites.

Inspectors must be on the ground by November and the stockpile should be removed or destroyed by mid-2014, he told reporters at a joint news conference with Lavrov after wrapping up their talks.

Britain, which had been pushing for military action along with the US but was forced to back down after lawmakers voted against it, welcomed the deal as a "significant step forward".

"Have spoken to Secretary Kerry. UK welcomes US-Russia agreement on Syria chemical weapons. Urgent work on implementation now to take place," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a tweet.

"I will hold talks with Secretary Kerry and (French) Foreign Minister (Laurent) Fabius in Paris on Monday to discuss the way forward, including action at the United Nations Security Council," he said in a message issued by the Foreign Office.

The onus is on the Syrian regime to comply with the agreement in full and the world community, including Russia, must hold Assad's regime to account, Hague said.

"This includes doing everything we can to stop the continuing bloodshed in Syria, bringing all sides together to agree a political solution to the conflict.