India Welcomes Syria's Decision To Join Chemical Weapons Convention

New Delhi, Sept 14, IRNA -- India on Friday welcomed Syria's decision of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention, a move that may make international strikes against the Middle Eastern nation appear less imminent. India welcomes Syria's accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry tweeted on the Twitter here. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the UN General Secretary's spokesman in New York confirmed that the UN chief received a letter from Damascus today informing him that President Al-Assad has signed the legislative decree providing for the accession of Syria to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction of 1992, pti reported. 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, the UN spokesman said in the statement. Earlier this week, Russia had asked the Syrian government to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed to avert US-led strikes at the Assad regime in response to a reported chemical attack carried out by the military killing over 1,400 people, including more than 400 children. India has already disfavored a military solution to end the Syrian conflict./end