DHAKA: Russia can send its military personnel to help in the proposed operation to eliminate Syria`s chemical arms.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says, reports the BBC.

Lavrov told Russian TV that military observers could help Syria destroy its stockpiles under a US-Russian deal.

He also accused the US of using ‘blackmail’ over a UN resolution.

The international chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, says Syria has met the deadline to submit details of its estimated 1,000-tonne chemical arsenal.

This was the first step in a deal, brokered by Russia and the United States, to eliminate the weapons by the middle of next year.

A large contingent of Russian troops would not be necessary, rather a small detachment of observers, Lavrov told the pro-Kremlin First Channel.

Arab states and Turkey could be part of the monitoring mission, he suggested.

In the same interview, Lavrov accused the US, Britain and France of being ‘blinded’ by their objective of regime change in Syria.

BDST: 2103 HRS, SEPT 22, 2013
RoR/Jck