Dispute between Russia and the United States over the terms of a path to rid Syria of its chemical weapons has caused fissures in the latest round of diplomatic efforts.
Disagreement between the two chief negotiators over the repercussions of a potential failure by Syria to comply has the potential to unravel an agreement.
Syria is supposed to begin the process of turning over its chemical weapons stockpile next week, but Russia and the United States disagree on how to hold Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad accountable.
In short, Russia doesn’t want to punish Syria militarily for failure to turn over its weapons stockpile and Washington wants to keep the threat of military action front and center.
The United States and its allies insist a plan before the U.N. Security Council be moved under Chapter VII, which means the use of military force remains on the table “should diplomacy fail.”
Source: CNN
