Russia’s initiative to place Syrian chemical weapon stockpiles under international control will only be feasible if the United States and its allies pledge not to use force, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

United States President Barack Obama is going to Congress on Tuesday with fresh hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough that would allow Syria’s government to avert U.S. missile strikes if it surrenders its chemical weapons arsenal.

Iran “favourably welcomes” a Russian plan to head off threatened US strikes on Syria by securing a deal to destroy the regime’s chemical weapons, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday. Marzieh Afgham told a media conference in Tehran that the proposal should include the destruction of chemical

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday she hoped “action” would follow Russia’s proposal to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control, and that it was not just a way to buy time.

Serbian Parliament Speaker Nebojsa Stefanović has said in the talks with OSCE ambassadors that EU accession is Serbia’s fundamental foreign policy goal. According to a release, Stefanović notified the ambassadors about the priorities of the reshuffled government and its aims, and the judiciary activities of the parliament.

The Syrian government has accepted a Russian proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control to avoid a possible US military strike, Interfax news agency quoted Syria’s foreign minister as saying on Tuesday. “We held a very fruitful round of talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday, and he

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told a US broadcaster there is “no evidence” that his government has used chemical weapons. US Secretary of State John Kerry has been lobbying hard for military action against Mr Assad during talks with EU and Arab foreign ministers in Europe.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius downplayed importance of obtaining commitments from Europe with regard to possible military participation against Syria, but praised increased political support to confront the Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

Lebanon is preparing itself for all eventualities, including a possible closure of Beirut’s airport, to cope with the repercussions of a potential U.S.-led military strike on Syria as officials scrambled Sunday to reassure foreign diplomats about their safety.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that Syria could prevent a military attack if President Bashar al-Assad handed over all his chemical weapons to the international community within the next week but added that