USA and Russia agreed on the Process of dismantling Syria's Chemical Weapons

The United States and Russia on 14 September 2013 agreed on the process of dismantling Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. The break- through was announced after three day talks between the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. The USA and Russia have agreed that Syria's chemical weapons must be destroyed or removed by mid-2014. USA outlined a six-point framework under which Syria must hand over a full list of its stockpile within a week.  If Syria fails to comply, the deal could be enforced by a UN resolution backed by the threat of sanctions or military force.

 The USA-Russia deal sets a deadline of mid-2014 for dismantling of Syria’s chemical weapons and an outline for compliance of requirements by Syria. It also has a clause stating that in case Syria falls short of its commitments, both Russia and the United States would jointly seek review at the United Nations Security Council. USA stated that in case of non-compliance US and Russia might request a Security Council resolution under Chapter 7, which can authorize both military and non-military sanctions.

The agreement did not include any automatic use of force if Damascus fails to comply. It added that violations by Syria would be referred to the UN Security Council for review which if approved, would take the required concrete measures.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the US-Russian deal on Syria's chemical weapons and hoped it will lead to efforts to end the appalling suffering of Syrians.