Lavrov: Additional international personnel may be needed in Syria

Additional international personnel may be needed in Syria to ensure safe elimination of chemical weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday after the talks with his Egyptian counterpart Nabil Fahmy. The Geneva document clearly says that the U.N. Security Council will adopt a resolution that will support the decision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and set down additional measures that are not under the organization's jurisdiction, he noted. It is likely that more personnel will be needed in addition to the number the OPCW has, the Russian minister said. It is also necessary to realize and agree on what security measures are needed in addition to the steps to be taken by the Syrian authorities and the opposition groups. The Russian-American documents stipulate that mainly the government and other Syrian parties are responsible for ensuring security, Lavrov noted. In addition to the measures on the national level, the international community may need to provide personnel to ensure safety along the perimeters of the areas where deactivation and other operations to destroy chemical weapons will take place, the minister noted.