Arab League chief Nabil al Arabi called the deal “a step closer to a political solution” to the conflict that has cost more than 110,00 lives since March 2011.
The UN report delivered Monday will influence any attempt by the Security Council to agree a resolution backing the Russia US accord. Lavrov has made clear Russia will not allow any UN resolution that approves the use of force if Assad does not carry out the accord. Western nations insist there must be “consequences”.
The report promises to be very technical, with details of the missile used and possibly the trajectory of the missile, according to diplomats.
The mid 2014 deadline for the destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpiles “seems to be a complete fantasy,” Olivier Lepick of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris told AFP.
“Given the civil war, I don’t think it can happen.”
Kerry said the joint plan would be encapsulated in a Security Council resolution drawn up under Chapter Seven of the UN charter, which provides for enforcement through sanctions, including the possible use of military force.
But with Russia strongly opposed to the use of military threats against its long term ally Syria, Kerry acknowledged it would be up to debate in the Security Council over what sanctions to impose.
In the latest violence, a mortar round exploded near a provincial headquarters in the Marjeh district of Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without reporting casualties.
It said the attack was swiftly followed by an air strike on rebel positions.