Russia's proposal on Syrian chemical arms 'acceptable' but 'under conditions': French FM

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PARIS, Sept. 9 -- Russia's proposal suggesting to place Syrian chemical arms under international control "is worthy of close scrutiny," and was acceptable with a U.N. Security Council resolution, French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday.

"The proposal of the Russian foreign minister ... recognized under the pressure we exerted that there is a serious problem with the huge stockpile of chemical weapons owned by Bashar al-Assad," the minister said in a statement.

"It would be acceptable under at least three conditions," he added, urging "rapid, serious and verifiable" commitments of the Syrian government to end the years-long conflict in the Arab country.

Fabius said that al-Assad would have to hand over his chemical arsenal to the international community quickly and allow it to be destroyed, and that the operation must be done with a Security Council resolution set to outline "firm consequences if he failed to meet his commitments."

The perpetrators of the attack on Aug. 21 should be punished and would have to be brought before the International Criminal Court to face prosecution for their crimes, the French top diplomat added.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Syria to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and put its chemical weapons storage facilities under international control as an alternative to avert a U.S-led "punitive" strikes related to alleged chemical arms attack against civilians in Damascus last month.

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