Russia and the US today began second round of negotiations on securing Syria's chemical arsenal, hoping the high-stakes talks would lead to broader peace efforts, even as Damascus submitted application to UN for joining the chemical weapons convention.
Heading into second day of hastily arranged talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the two sides were "deeply committed to a negotiated solution" to the Syrian conflict.
Hailing the first round as "constructive", Kerry said he and Lavrov were "working hard to find the common ground to be able to make that happen".
Both Washington and Moscow said they hoped talks on dismantling Syria's chemical arsenal would open the door to wider peace efforts. Talks between Kerry and Lavrov are focussed on a four-step plan, which includes Syria joining the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The plan, proposed by Russia this week and supported by Syria's allies, is aimed at averting any US-led military strike against the embattled Assad regime, which the US holds responsible for killing over 1,000 civilians in an alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb on August 21.
The talks are meant to come up with a draft plan on how and when Syria will hand over its cache of chemical weapons.
Meanwhile, the United Nations today said it has received documents from Syrian government on joining the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws their production and use.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received a letter from the Government of Syria, informing him that President Bashar al-Assad has signed a legislative decree providing for accession of Syria to the Convention, a UN statement said.
In their letter, the Syrian authorities have expressed their commitment to observe the obligations entailed by the Convention even before its entry into force for Syria, said a spokesman of the Secretary General.
Ban welcomed this development, noting that, as depository of the Convention, he has long called for universal accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Kerry told reporters that US and Russia were "working hard to find common ground" to implement the Geneva II peace talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month which would bring together Assad's regime and the opposition to negotiate a political solution to end the conflict that has left over 100,000 people dead.
