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Damascus ready to comply with Russian-US agreement

Damascus is ready for work, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister underlined
Photo ITAR-TASS / Sergey Karpov
Photo ITAR-TASS / Sergey Karpov

MOSCOW, September 18 (Itar-Tass) - Russia is explaining to the Syrian side the essence of the Russian-American agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons reached in Geneva. Damascus is ready for work, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who is in Damascus for consultations, has told Tass by telephone.

“Details of the arrangement between (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (US Secretary of State John) Kerry in Geneva are discussed with Syrian partners in two-day consultations,” Ryabkov said. “Under the minister’s instructions, we are explaining to the Syrian side these agreements as well as the importance of strictly complying with them, of meeting timely its commitments as the country joining the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Ryabkov said.

He said that although the convention had not yet come into effect for Syria, Damascus was ready to comply with its obligations before that.

“This is a rather difficult technical and legal issue,” he said. “There are many aspects to be discussed,” Ryabkov added.

“We proceed from the fact that the key role belongs to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,” he added. “We don’t believe that the UN Security Council has the leading function. The Security Council must support efforts, offer support from the point of view of security, from the point of view of logistics,” Ryabkov said.

“We believe that other countries, permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council must join the work,” the top Russian diplomat said. According to him, it is apparent that Syria pays attention.