U.S., Russia Reach Deal On Syria Chemical Weapons

Following two days of negotiations in Geneva, this morning John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov announced they have reached an agreement for a framework on how Syria would destroy its chemical weapons, and would also seek a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize sanctions, but not military action as per Russia’s demand, if Assad failed to comply. The diplomats announced on the third day of intense negotiations in Geneva that some elements of the deal include a timetable and how Syria must comply. At a news conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, Kerry said the inspectors must be on the ground by November and destruction or removal of the chemical weapons must be completed by mid-2014.

Ironically, that means that all that “proof” about Assad’s inhuman chemical attacks which demand an immediate deterrence response, apparently does not actually exist despite countless lies to the contrary. The good news is that Colin Powell’s legacy of a war of aggression based on a lie has been halted, if only for now.

AP reports that Kerry said they had agreed on grounds under which they might request a Security Council “Chapter 7” resolution, which could include military and non-military sanctions. Lavrov called the agreements a “decision based on consensus and compromise and professionalism.” But with Russia almost certain to veto any resolution that included military action, Lavrov indicated the limits of using that potential action. “Any violations of procedures … would be looked at by the Security Council and if they are approved, the Security Council would take the required measures, concrete measures,” Lavrov said.

In other words, the military option has been de-escalated, and now it will be merely a diplomatic depabe, made obsolete in the corridors of the world’s most theatrically irrelevant organization, the United Nations.

“Nothing is said about the use of force or about any automatic sanctions. All violations should be approved by the Security Council,” he added.

 

Kerry said any violations will result in “measures” from the Security Council, while Lavrov said the violations must be sent to the Security Council from the board of the chemical weapons convention before sanctions — short of the use of force — would be considered.

 

“We have committed to a standard that says, verify and verify,” he said.

 

Kerry said the pair and their teams of experts had reached “a shared assessment” of Syria’s weapons stockpile and that Syria must destroy all of its weapons.

 

The negotiations between the United States and Russia on securing Syria’s chemical weapons also are considered key to a resumption of peace talks to end the 2 ½-year Syrian civil war.

 

The agreement on a Russian proposal to inventory, isolate and eventually destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stocks comes as the Obama administration warned that there is a timetable for a diplomatic resolution of the weapons issue.

 

A major sticking point was how to account for Syria’s chemical weapons inventory, but in marathon sessions into early morning hours the U.S. and Russia succeeded in narrowing their differences over what each country believes to be the size of the Syrian stockpiles.

And like that the Saudi attempt to enflame the region in a destabilizing conflict has been foiled again, but more importantly Gazpromia has foiled Qatar one more time.

So now we sit back, and await to see where the next false flag attack will strike. Keep a close eye on Iraq. And, of course as usual, Iran and Israel.

zerohedge