REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar Assad says his government has agreed to surrender its chemical weapons in response to Russia's initiative and not because of US threat of attack.

Assad told Russia's state Rossiya 24 news channel in an interview that is set to be broadcast fully later Thursday that "Syria is transferring chemical weapons under international control because of Russia."

He added that "the US threats hadn't influenced" his government's decision.

Russia on Monday proposed that Syria place its chemical weapons under international control and eventually dismantle them to avert a US strike, and Syria quickly accepted the proposal.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are set to sit down together to discuss details of the plan in Geneva on Thursday.

Meanwhile the United Nations said Thursday it has received a letter from Syria stating its intention to join the chemical weapons treaty which bans the production, stockpiling and use of the deadly weapons. The letter of "accession" is being translated, UN associate spokesman Farhan Haq said.

"This starts the process under way" to become a party to the treaty, he said. The letter arrived at UN headquarters two days after Syria announced that it was prepared to sign the international treaty it long has rejected.

The Chemical Weapons Convention requires all parties to the treaty to declare and destroy whatever chemical weapons they may possess.

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