[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:07.30]this is In the News.
[00:09.49]What seemed like an unplanned comment
[00:12.48]about Syria's chemical weapons
[00:15.08]had a major effect on world events this week.
[00:19.51]American Secretary of State John Kerry
[00:22.99]spoke last Monday at a press conference in London.
[00:27.47]He was reacting to questions
[00:30.16]about possible American action
[00:33.80]to answer a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.
[00:38.73]One reporter asked the secretary
[00:41.91]whether there is anything Syria's president can do
[00:45.90]to avoid an American military strike.
[00:49.43]"Sure, he can turn over
[00:50.68]every single bit of his chemical weapons
[00:52.68]to the international community in the next week."
[00:55.42]Mr. Kerry made clear he was speaking theoretically,
[00:59.40]and did not expect anything like that to happen.
[01:03.48]"But he is not about to do that,
[01:05.27]cannot be done, obviously."
[01:07.81]But Russia seized on the idea
[01:09.90]and persuaded Syria to do the same.
[01:13.08]That brought plans for American congressional votes
[01:17.77]on military action to a halt.
[01:20.61]It also led France to suggest a United Nations
[01:25.53]Security Council resolution on chemical weapons in Syria.
[01:31.06]President Obama has said
[01:33.85]he would accept a diplomatic solution
[01:36.38]if it can be carried out.
[01:38.82]But that would likely take weeks, at least.
[01:42.11]Some officials in the United States and overseas are concerned.
[01:47.84]They fear that Syria and Russia will use Mr. Kerry's comment
[01:53.71]to direct attention away from the reported chemical attack
[01:58.59]and to avoid American action.
[02:01.63]Mr. Obama has said the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
[02:08.30]must be punished for violating the nearly century old ban
[02:13.94]on the use of chemical weapons.
[02:16.87]He called for American action to prevent
[02:20.85]future use of chemical weapons in Syria.
[02:24.89]He proposed limited airstrikes on government targets.
[02:29.41]The airstrikes could happen quickly if Congress approves.
[02:35.10]Joanna Kidd is a security expert with London's King's College.
[02:41.27]She says any move to place Syria's chemical weapons
[02:46.25]under international control would take a long time,
[02:50.73]if it could be done at all.
[02:53.32]"It is a job that would take several months to do.
[02:55.81]And, of course, one should not forget that obviously
[02:58.11]there is a civil war going on in Syria,
[02:59.85]which would greatly complicate the process."
[03:01.44]The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
[03:05.28]could provide inspectors to document controls
[03:09.31]on Syria's chemical weapons.
[03:12.21]But experts say there may not be enough inspectors
[03:16.69]to cover all of Syria.
[03:19.08]And they say the organization may not be willing
[03:23.22]to send them into the middle of the civil war.
[03:26.50]Late this week, the Syrian government took its first step
[03:32.33]toward joining the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
[03:37.10]The convention bans the development,
[03:40.50]production and use of chemical weapons.
[03:44.33]Until now, only seven countries, including Syria,
[03:49.31]have failed to approve the treaty.
[03:52.39]Mr. Assad says his country is now ready to give its approval.
[03:58.12]But he says Syria cannot be "brought to the final stage"
[04:03.55]while it is under the threat of an American missile strike.
[04:08.28]In a related development, Secretary Kerry
[04:13.12]and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva.
[04:19.05]Mr. Kerry said they held what he called "constructive" talks
[04:24.92]on ending Syria's chemical weapons program.
[04:29.50]He said they also agreed to do "homework" as part of an effort
[04:36.17]to get Syria's warring sides to a conference on a temporary government.
[04:42.64]And that's In the News from VOA Learning English.
[04:48.32]I'm Steve Ember.