Syrian opposition divided over Russia's chemical weapons plan BEIRUT -- The fragmented Syrian opposition reacted in divided fashion to the news that Syria may be willing to give up its chemical weapons stockpile. Some opposition groups favoring a U.S. retaliatory strike on Syria denounced the move as a dilatory tactic by the government of President Bashar Assad to avert a U.S. bombardment. "This is a dirty deal between the regime and the Russians and the U.S., through which the murderer was left unpunished for his crimes, and through which the Israeli and Western interests were achieved," Col. Abduljabbar Akidi, head of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army contingent in the northern province of Aleppo, said in an interview Tuesday via Skype. A number of opposition brigades have been preparing an offensive to coincide with U.S. air assaults, hopeful that the strikes could help turn the tide of the war in favor of outgunned rebel forces. On Monday, the Syrian government accepted a Russian proposal that Damascus turn over its chemical armaments for destruction under international auspices. In a televised address from the White House Tuesday, President Obama called the proposal "encouraging," but cautioned, "it's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments." The Syrian National Coalition, the U.S.-backed exile opposition group, labeled Damascus" pledge to turn over its chemical weapons stockpile "useless stalling" by Assad's government. "The proposal is a political strategy that aims to stall for more time, which will allow the regime to cause more death and destruction for the Syrian people, and more threats to the nations and peoples of the region," the opposition coalition said. But the idea of U.S. airstrikes was never popular with everyone in the fractious Syrian opposition, which includes a wide range of activists, among them armed rebels and advocates opposed to armed rebellion. Some opposition activists contend that Washington and its allies do not want Assad removed from power, though Obama has said Assad should step down. "We know these are all formalities to betray us," said Mohammad abu Hamza, nom de guerre of a spokesman for the Haqq Brigade, a rebel group in the city of Homs, north of Damascus, the capital. Any benefits of a U.S. strike "would be minuscule," he said. Some armed factions feared that Washington would use the opportunity to attack antigovernment fighters loyal to Al Qaeda. Still other opposition activists reject all outside involvement in Syria's more than 2-year-old civil war. "We oppose any foreign military intervention in Syria under any pretext," said Rim Turkmani, co-founder of the Building the Syrian State Current group, in a comment released by the Institute for Public Accuracy, a Washington-based research organization. Instead, it will exacerbate the crisis, push the parties of the armed conflict to escalate their armed actions, and push them to use the worst of weapons. [For the Record, 5:47 a.m. 11: An earlier version of this post stated that the Syrian National Coalition criticized the Syrian government's pledge to turn over its nuclear stockpile as "useless stalling." The reference was to Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.] Obama: Diplomatic talks on Syria 'encouraging,' but threat remains Special correspondent Bulos reported from Philadelphia. Special correspondent Lava Selo in Beirut and Times staff writer Raja Abdulrahim in Los Angeles contributed to this report.