France FM Cautiously Welcomes Deal on Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius welcomed a Russian-US deal on dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, calling it “a significant step” ahead of a meeting in Beijing on Sunday with his Chinese counterpart.
Ahead of a bilateral meeting in Beijing on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his Chinese counterpart welcomed a Russian-US deal on dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.
Fabius said the deal – which gives Damascus a week to declare the locations of its chemical weapons stockpiles – was “a significant step forward”.
Fabius cautioned, however, that there was still a long way to go, calling Saturday's agreement "only a first stage".
Fabius is in Beijing as part of a larger diplomatic push to secure international support for bringing an end to Syria’s two-and-a-half-year civil war, France24 reported.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the deal offered another chance to address the chemical weapons issue “through peaceful means”.
“We believe the framework agreement will ease the current tense situation that may be triggered at any moment in Syria and creates new prospects for resolving the chemical weapon issue in Syria through peaceful means,” Wang said.
Following a third day of intense negotiations in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed Saturday on a deal to secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons.
