Kerry set to test Russia on Syria weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is seeking to ensure that a Russian proposal to secure Syria’s chemical weapons will be intrusive and enforceable enough to bolster a new diplomatic initiative to hold Syria to account for using the banned arms.

The hastily arranged meeting in Geneva comes as the White House tries to pin success or failure of the diplomatic track on Russia’s willingness to take a tough line with its ally Syria. Syrian rebels, however, are disappointed at best in President Barack Obama’s decision to forgo a military strike in favor of an agreement to take access to chemical weapons away from President Bashar Assad.