Things between the world and Syria are really getting real.
The United States and Russia have reportedly reached an agreement in order to seize chemical weapons in Syria also involving the country turning over an accounting of its arsenal.
According to the Washington Post, if Syria fails to do so, the U.N. could allow a sanction to occur or even other outcomes.
The site reports:
Senior administration officials had said Friday the Obama administration would not press for U.N. authorization to use force against Syria if it reneges on any agreement to give up its chemical weapons.
The Russians had made clear in talks here between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kerry that the negotiations could not proceed under the threat of a U.N. resolution authorizing a military strike. Russia also wanted assurances that a resolution would not refer Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the International Criminal Court for possible war-crimes prosecution.
But this doesn’t rule out things getting ugly. President Obama has said that the unilateral U.S. use of force against Syria for a chemical attack last month is still on the table.
But consideration of that action, already under challenge by a skeptical Congress, has been put on hold pending the outcome of the Geneva talks.
The discussions here began this week following a Russian proposal Monday, quickly agreed to by Assad, to place Syria’s chemical arsenal under international control and eventually destroy it.
Kerry and Lavrov, negotiating behind closed doors with teams of disarmament experts, have said little about the talks that began Thursday. But administration officials in Washington provided some details on the condition that they not be identified or quoted directly.
It’s not clear what kind of consequence would come out of Syria not complying, but it’s “short of a threatened use of force” at the least.
This is getting serious, and we hope that the Syria can find peace.
Photo Credit: Getty
