Kerry: US awaits Russian ideas on securing Syrian chemical weapons

The United States is expecting to receive ideas about how to secure Syria's chemical weapons from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, said Secretary of State John Kerry.             
"He is sending those to us. They'll be coming informally in the course of the day. We'll have an opportunity to review them," Kerry said in a Google+ hangout interview.               

Washington believes the Russian proposal must be endorsed by the U.N. Security Council "in order to have the confidence that this has the force it ought to have," said Kerry, adding that the Russians did not share that view.                

Kerry acknowledged that military aid the United States has promised to send to moderate anti-government rebels in Syria had reached them as quickly as hoped but that "some items" were now arriving. He declined to say what items had reached groups fighting the Syrian government.

Earlier, Kerry told lawmakers the Obama administration was debating the feasibility of Russia's plan and whether it would meet the U.S. goal of ending Syria's ability to use chemical weapons.       
     
Kerry also said that President Barack Obama may want to talk to leaders of the U.S. Congress about "when and how" to act on his request for authorization for limited strikes on Syria.           

"Nothing has changed with respect to our request for the Congress to take action with respect to this," Kerry told a congressional hearing, when asked about diplomatic developments.            
"As to when and how, that's something the president may want to chat with the leadership about," he said.              


AP/REUTERS