Syrian rebels have rejected the Russian proposal to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control.
In talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov put forward a proposal for Syria to put its chemical stockpiles under international control with plans for their subsequent destruction.
The proposal also calls for Syria to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.
The Syrian government on Tuesday said that it had accepted the Russian proposal. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Lavrov are set to discuss Moscow's proposal in Geneva on Thursday.
In a video posted on YouTube, Free Syrian Army Military Commander General Salim Idriss said the Russian plan did not go far enough, and called on the international community that the Bashar al-Assad regime be brought to justice.
The Opposition Syrian National Coalition questioned the motives for the Russian initiative, saying it is a "political maneuver aimed at buying time" for the Assad government.
Meanwhile, the United States put on hold its planned military intervention in Syria in response to the suspected use of chemical weapons by the Syrian forces.
The alleged attack using nerve gas in Ghouta, a rebel stronghold on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, last month had killed more than 1,000 people, including children. The Syrian government denies its role in the most shocking episode of the drawn out civil war in the Middle East country, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives.
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September 11, 2026 16:26 ET Consumer prices data was the main news on the economic front in the U.S. this week. In Europe, the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank was the focus along with the revised second quarter economic growth data for the euro area. In Asia, the monthly foreign trade data from China drew attention.