Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the offer was made to his Syrian counterpart, and that he was hopeful to get an answer promptly,
BBC News reports.
On Sunday, during an
interview with CBS's '
"Face The Nation," Syrian President denied using chemical weapons against his own people, but he did not confirm or deny having them. He also said that should Syria be attacked, he would he respond, but he did not give any details as to how Syria would respond.
The United States, who is accusing Syria of war crimes, is threatening military strikes against Syria. According to a
CNN poll, the public is strongly against this.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, John Kerry is currently in Europe attempting to get support for military action, which he claims is a better alternative than taking no military action at all,
BBC News reports.
Mr. Kerry was asked at a news conference whether President Assad could do anything to avoid a military strike. He said he could relinquish Syria's stockpile of weapons within the next week, but the US has clarified that this was a "rhetorical argument," and not a serious offer.
Mr. Lavrov, however, is serious, and believes if Assad does give up his chemical weapons, it will help Syria avoid a strike.
According to the
RT, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem Walid al-Moallem said that Damascus was "ready for full cooperation with Russia to remove any pretext for aggression." Lavrov and Moallem met in Moscow Monday.
