Syria Opposition Describes Russia's Plan as 'Political Maneuver'

Syria's main opposition group denounced on Tuesday as a "political maneuver" a Russian plan on Syria's chemical weapons, saying it is part of a useless procrastination.

"The proposal of Lavrov is a political maneuver and is part of useless procrastination that will only result in more deaths and destruction for the Syrian people," said an opposition statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the day earlier had announced during a hastily called news briefing after talks with Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem a plan for Damascus to "place chemical weapons under international control and then to have them destroyed."

Speaking in Moscow, Muallem said he "welcomed" the Russian move without immediately accepting the proposal. It was not immediately clear if a still defiant President Bashar Assad would agree to the measure.

Lavrov said that the plan could avert threatened military strikes by the United States after a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus on August 21 which the West believes was carried out by the regime.