CHARLOTTE, NC- The United States and Russia made a groundbreaking decision Saturday after three days of tense talks in Geneva.
The agreementΒ requiresΒ SyriaΒ to hand over a list of its chemical arsenal within a week, which could help avoid a military strike in Syria.
βThe United States and Russia are committed to the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons in the soonest and safest manner,” saidΒ Secretary of State John Kerry.
The list must include the types and amount of Syriaβs poison gas, chemical munitions and the location of its storage, production and research sites.
“We have reached a shared assessment of the amount and type of chemical weapons possessed by the Assad regime, and we are committed to the rapid assumption of control by the international community of those weapons,” said Kerry.
Although the agreement includes theΒ United Nations Security Council,Β Russia has maintained its opposition to any military action.
“To avoid the military scenario that would be catastrophic not only for this region and for international relations as a whole,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.Β Β Β
President Obama says thatΒ if diplomacy fails, the U.S. isΒ prepared to act.
UN inspections will be completed by November. That’s also when Syria’s chemical production and filling facilities should be destroyed.
Officials say the complete elimination of chemical weapons should happen by mid 2014.
