France Hails Syria Deal As Step Forward

Laurent Fabius

France welcomed a deal on Saturday between Russia and the United States on destroying Syria's chemical weapons as an "important step forward" and said that talks on Monday in Paris would focus on its implementation.

"The draft agreement reached in Geneva about eliminating the Syrian regime's chemical weapons is an important step forward," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement shortly after the deal was struck.

Fabius, who spoke with his US counterpart shortly before the agreement was announced, added that France would clarify its position based on the findings of UN weapons inspectors' investigation into a chemical gas attack in Syria last month.

September 14, 2013