John Kerry Praises Syria's Assad for Cooperating on Chemical Weapons Deal

"Very pleased" by the "terrific example"

 U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry offered qualified praise Monday for the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, crediting Syrian authorities for cooperating with aUnited Nations mandate to destroy the nation's chemical stockpiles.

In comments in Bali, where he is attending an international economic summit, Kerry said U.S. authorities were "very pleased" at progress in the chemical weapons disarmament plan, calling it "a terrific example of global cooperation," according to a State Department transcript of Kerry's remarks.