Assad: Deal Is ‘Victory’

The Syrian government said Sunday that the deal to hand over chemical weapons is a “victory,” while President Obama insisted the threat on armed intervention still loomed. “These agreements … are a victory for Syria, achieved thanks to our Russian friends,” Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar told Moscow’s RIA news agency. Although the U.S. State Department insisted last week that Assad “has no legitimacy as the ruler of Syria,” the weapons deal buys Assad more time as president. Meanwhile, Assad’s forces struck rebel suburbs on Sunday in an offensive that reportedly began last week. The United Nations investigators released their report on the August 21 chemical-weapons attack, although the report is unlikely to pinpoint who was responsible.