Russia assists Syria in chemical weapon consolidation as rebels advance
A Russia official said Saturday that the government in Damascus consolidated its chemical weapons in “one or two” locations amid rebel onslaught.
Syria has consolidated its chemical weapons stocks in one or two locations as rebels make advances in several parts on the country, said Russia’s foreign minister.
Car bombing in Damascus on Saturday, screenshot from YouTube video
Sergei Lavrov said Russia, which reportedly has military advisers training Syria’s military, has kept close watch over its chemical arsenal.
Lavrov announced that his country would be unwilling to offer sanctuary to President Bashar al-Assad, but would welcome offers from other nations.
“If there is anyone willing to provide him guarantees, they are welcome,” he said. “We would be the first to cross ourselves and say: ‘Thank God, the carnage is over.’ If it indeed ends the carnage, which is far from certain.”
Russia has been rowing back since the Kremlin’s Middle East envoy was quoted this month as saying the rebels could defeat Assad and that Russia was preparing for a possible evacuation of its nationals, the strongest signs yet that it was positioning itself for a post-Assad Syria.
“Listen, no one is going to win this war,” Lavrov told reporters aboard a flight returning to Moscow from a Russia-European Union summit in Brussels.
A deadly car bombing in Damascus on Saturday left several dead and dozens wounded, but few other details were available.
[…] The RDX, the explosive nitroamine commonly used for industrial and military applications, found in the warhead was not consistent with what the armed forces use. Russia supplied weapons to the Assad regime and worked with their leadership on handling the weapons as the rebel forces gain strength – more on that story here […]