UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday welcomed the framework agreed by Russia and the United States on eliminating Syria's chemical weapons.
"The Secretary-General welcomes the news that Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have reached an understanding regarding the safeguarding and destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson.
Ban looked forward to learning more of this framework agreement and pledges support of the U.N. in its implementation, according to the statement.
The U.N. chief expressed his "fervent hope that the agreement will, first, prevent any future use of chemical weapons in Syria and, second, help pave the path for a political solution to stop the appalling suffering inflicted on the Syrian people," the statement said.
Lavrov and Kerry opened talks Thursday evening on Russia's proposal to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control. The two sides have agreed on the scope, the verification and monitoring and destruction, among other things, of the chemical weapons arsenal.
According to the framework, Syria must submit a "comprehensive listing" of its chemical weapons stockpiles within one week, and weapons inspectors must be on the ground in Syria by November.
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