Russia wants to approve UN resolution on Syria without going beyond Geneva agreements – Lavrov

 All chemical weapons, including specific hazardous materials that could be held by the “opposition”, must be destroyed in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Both Russia and the US reiterate that all chemical weapons in Syria must be destroyed. Because there are serious concerns that the opposition could hold some components of these hazardous materials,” Lavrov said after meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Negotiations with US Secretary of State were productive – Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the UN General Assembly was productive.

“Our negotiations were productive,” Lavrov told reporters after the meeting.

Lavrov said his meeting with Kerry “addressed many issues, the principal of which concerned Syria with a focus on preparations for the upcoming decision of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the UN Security Council resolution in support of this decision regarding the actions that need to be taken to liquidate Syrian chemical weapons,” Lavrov said.

“We are operating on the basis of facts. And the facts are that the Syrian government has joined the Chemical Weapons Convention, expressed its readiness to immediately fulfill its obligations under this agreement, and provided the OPCW with a declaration about its chemical arsenals and their location,” Lavrov said.

All chemical weapons should be destroyed – Lavrov

During a “constructive” meeting on the sidelines of UNGA, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to continue pushing towards destruction of “all” chemical weapons in Syria under international supervision.

 “There are some serious concerns that the Syrian “opposition” may possess components of chemical weapons,” Lavrov told the press after the meeting with his counterpart. “All chemical weapons must be destroyed in Syria including hazardous materials in possession of the opposition,” he was quoted by Interfax.

Lavrov also stressed that work on the UN Security Council resolution on Syria will be conducted “within a framework that had been agreed between Russia and US in Geneva.”

Russia hopes that the UN Security Council resolution on Syria’s chemical weapons will be adopted immediately after the decision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague in the coming days.

“The talks were productive. We have a common understanding of how to move forward,” Lavrov said. He also stressed that “the OPCW plays a major role in these matters.” His counterpart John Kerry agreed saying, “we had a very constructive meeting.”

M.D