CHEMICAL WEAPONS DEAL VICTORY FOR SYRIA

    Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar on Russian News Agency Ria Novosti, hails the U S- Russian agreement on destroying the country's chemical weapons as a victory that averts war. He said " on the one hand, it helps Syria come out of the crisis and , on the other, it helps avoid the war against Syria depriving those who wanted to launch it of arguments to do so".
    The framework deal was announced on Saturday after three days of talks in Geneva by U S Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The framework document says Syria must provide full details of it's stockpile within a week, with the chemical arsenal eliminated by mid 2014.
    If Syria fails to comply, the deal could be enforced by a U N resolution with the use of force as a last resort.