McCain on Syria deal: Immediate dispatch of inspectors to chemical weapons sites required

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) told “New Day” Anchor Chris Cuomo that while he is “skeptical” about the Russian deal to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control, he said it must be explored and there needs to be “an immediate dispatch of monitors” to the chemical weapons sites.

“I take it seriously to the degree that it has to be explored. It must be examined, and I think we could have a very good initial test, Chris, and that would be an immediate dispatch of… international monitors to these chemical weapons sites, which we know where most of them are and secure them so that they can’t be used by Bashar al-Assad. And then we work out the procedures for keeping them under international control and the removal. We could do that immediately. Know I am skeptical, very, very skeptical, but the fact is that you can’t pass up this opportunity, if it is one, but you’ve gotta right away determine whether it’s real or not…. There are a group of us who are working on, Senators, who are working on an amendment or a change to the resolution that allows for this kind of action and requires guidelines, reporting process and benchmarks that have to be met….”

On credibility of the offer by Russians, Senator McCain said, “When you see the plane loads of Russian arms flying into Damascus on a daily basis, tons and tons. When you see the Russian veto, time after time, of any resolution in the Security Council, I think it’s ample reason to be skeptical.”

“New Day” airs weekday mornings from 6-9 a.m. ET on CNN.