MOSCOW, September 10 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he hoped Syria would show responsible approach and agree to have its chemical weapons placed under international control and later be disposed of.
“We proceed from the fact that it absolutely possible and we hope that our Syrian partners will take a responsible decision and will agree to have their chemical weapons placed and international control, moreover, that they will agree to have it disposed of and will join the international chemical weapons convention,” Putin said.
Syria does have a certain arsenal of chemical weapons, he admitted. “The Syrians have always considered it as an alternative to Israel’s nuclear arms,” he said.
The Russian leader once again reiterated Russia’s position on that matter. “We are against proliferation of any weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and nuclear arms,” he stressed.
“In the current situation in Syria, this subject is emerging full blown,” he noted. “On the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit, we discussed this problem with the United States president.” The issue, in his words, has been debated by experts and politician. “We agreed to take more active steps on that matter,” Putin said. “We agreed to commission the U.S. secretary of state and the Russian foreign minister to get in contact and try to promote the solution of this problem.”