By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria-UN Diplomats have announced that the five permanent members (France, Britain, Russia, China, and the U.S.) of the divided Security Council have reached an agreement on a resolution requiring Syria to dismantle its chemical-weapons supplies.

Discussions among the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council have been ongoing for weeks attempting to narrow down the precise stipulations of a new resolution.  Final version of the resolution requires that Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile be “secured and dismantled.”

The final agreement was reached a day after Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that a breakthrough had been reached in deciding that the resolution’s text would include references to Chapter 7 of the UN charter allowing military and nonmilitary actions to maintain peace and security.

Reports have indicated that the breakthrough arrived after the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Assad could avoid U.S. military action “by turning over every single bit of his chemical weapons to international control within a week.”

China, historically known for blocking resolutions dealing with the civil war in Syria, seemed to be persuaded by the U.S. sense of urgency.  Kerry stated that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had “strong agreement on the need for a mandatory and binding UN Security Council resolution.”

A U.S. official further stated, “They [U.S. and China] discussed the value of unity among the P5 [permanent Security Council members], and both felt it is important to act quickly.”  However, the U.S. official continued saying “the Chinese gave no indication about whether they would support a resolution that the U.S. and Russia agreed to.”

Ryabkov stated that Russia was prepared to help guard locations of Syrian chemical weapons and destroy President al-Assad’s stockpiles, but would not import them into Russia.  “We believe the destruction [of chemical weapons] on Syrian territory is the best option,” stated Ryabkov.

The United States and Russia are the only countries who the capability to handle mustard, VX, sarin, or cyanide-armed weapons.  However, U.S. law bans the imports of chemical weapons.

Since neither country that has the capability to take on the chemicals is willing to, the UN resolution is designed to implement destabilization of the chemical weapons within Syria at the local sites.  Inspection of these sites are to be completed by November 30 and the entire arsenal destroyed by June 30.

President Obama has stated that the U.S. use of force against Syria for last month’s chemical attack still remains a possibility.  However, a skeptical Congress and Geneva talks has put consideration of attack on hold.

For more information, please see the following: 

Aljazeera-Reports: Deal reached on Syria UN resolution-September 26, 2013

Times of Isreal-World powers reach Syria resolution deal, diplomats say-September 26, 2013

USA Today-U.N. diplomats: Possible deal on Syria resolution-September 26, 2013

Washington Post-U.S., Russia reach agreement on seizure of Syrian chemical weapons arsenal-September 26, 2013