Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Horror of Homs...
said Thursday Washington must stop arming rebels and stop threatening military force if it wanted a plan for Syria to hand over chemical weapons to work.
"When we see that the United States truly desires stability in our region and stops threatening and seeking to invade, as well as stops arms supplies to bully boyz then we can believe that we can follow through with the necessary processes," he told Russian television, adding that Washington should dispense with the "politics of threats."
But he also signaled that he was willing to comply with international pressure. "Syria will be sending an appeal to the U.N. and the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in a few days, which will have technical documents necessary to sign the agreement," he added in translated remarks.
Assad had vowed earlier on Thursday to hand over Syria's chemical weapons as Moscow and Washington were set to begin high-stakes talks on a Russian plan to avert U.S.-led military action against his regime.
Assad said Syria would place its chemical weapons under foreign control in line with Moscow's proposal.
"Syria is handing over chemical weapons under international control because of Russia," Assad was quoted as telling Rossiya 24 state news channel.
"U.S. threats have not affected the decision," he said, adding that Syria planned to file documents to the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
to sign an agreement on chemical arms.