Syria: US Says 'Threat Of Force Is Real

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The Syrian Government has welcomed the international agreement on its chemical weapons disarmament as "a victory" for Damascus.3:31pm UK, Sunday 15 September 2013 Kerry and Netanyahu
John Kerry gives a joint briefing with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has issued a strong warning to Syria, saying "the threat of force is real" if it does not destroy its chemical weapons.  Speaking at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, he said the focus must now be on ending the violence and humanitarian crisis in Syria.  But he again warned that US military strikes were a possibility if President Bashar al Assad does not comply with a newly-brokered US and Russian deal to strip him of his chemical stockpiles.  "Make no mistake, we have taken no options off the table," he said.

Mr Netanyahu said diplomacy could only work if it was coupled with the credible threat of force. Syria needs to be stripped of its chemical weapons, he said. "It would make the entire region a lot safer."  The Syrian government has welcomed the international agreement on its chemical weapons disarmament as "a victory" for Damascus.  "On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria," Syrian minister of state for national reconciliation Ali Haidar said in an interview with Russian news agency Ria Novosti. "It's a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."

Syrian troops in gunfight with rebels in Tadaman
Syrian troops and rebels continue to clash on the streets of Damascus
Mr Haidar gave Syria's first reaction to the disarmament plan as warplanes and artillery bombarded rebel-held areas of Damascus. He said the deal would prepare the ground for peace talks between President Assad's forces and the rebels. But the rebels have called the international focus on poison gas a sideshow, and dismissed talk the plan might herald peace talks. They said Mr Assad had stepped up an offensive with ordinary weaponry now the threat of US air strikes had receded.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama welcomed the nine-month disarmament plan, calling it an "important, concrete step", but also warned that "if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act".  The US and Russia have given Syria seven days to submit a "comprehensive list" of its chemical weapons - otherwise, the US will seek a UN resolution that could still authorise strikes.  Once the details have been handed over, the Assad regime will then have until November to allow UN inspectors access to the sites. Destruction of the regime's chemical weapons must then be complete by mid-2014.