Khaled al-Ayoubi said he had no faith in Russia leading the international efforts to make the Syrian dictator's lethal stockpile safe.
Mr al-Ayoubi, who defected in the UK last year when he was the most senior Syrian diplomat in the London embassy, said his former masters in Damascus will appear to be agreeing to changes but will delay and stall.
He warned it could be ten years before there will be any confidence that the weapons are safe, allowing Assad crucial time to hide some.
Mr al-Ayoubi said: "Assad will say he is signing an agreement but how do we know he will comply?
"I know how the regime works and they will drown us in process and procedure. They will say they want to decide which observers are appointed and use other delaying tactics.
"It will be 10 years before they are dealt with."
He said the Russians could not be trusted either and accused President Vladimir Putin of being willing himself of using chemical weapons in the past. "They are manipulating the political language to waste time," he said. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Saturday, September 14, 2013
