BBC News with Marion Marshall.
The American Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Syria the plans for it to hand over its chemical weapons are not a game. At a news conference, ahead of the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Mr. Kerry said Syria's actions had to be real, comprehensive and timely. From Geneva where the two men have met, Paul Adam reports. “Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry have launched a process full of high expectations and profound skepticism. The Russian Foreign Minister said a successful outcome would make a strike on Syria unnecessary and he voiced the hope that it might also serve to brave life into a wider political process. John Kerry was emphatic, only the threat of force had persuaded Syria to acknowledge its chemical arsenal, and in a direct reference to President Assad's interview on Russian television in which the Syrian leader spoke of, what he called, a standard procedure for handing over documents relating to chemical weapons within 30 days. Mr. Kerry said there was nothing standard about this process.”
The United Nations has received a formal letter from the Syrian government stating its intention to join the international treaty controlling chemical weapons. From New York, here's Nick Bryant. “Codified in the early 90’s and agreed to by all but five nations, the treaty bans the production, stockpiling and use of these deadly weapons. Under its terms, Syria has 60 days to provide a detailed inventory of all its chemical weapons agents related munitions and production facilities. The Assad regime would have to detail the exact locations of its stockpiles, and open them to inspection by the international watchdog, the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons.”