Assad says chemical handover not result of U.S. threat: Interfax MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syria's decision to cede control of its chemical weapons was the result of a Russian proposal, not the threat of U.S. military intervention, Interfax news agency quoted President Bashar al-Assad as saying in a Russian television interview. Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia. The U.S. threats did not influence the decision," Interfax quoted Assad as telling Russia's state-run Rossiya-24 channel in the interview. Reporting by Thomas Grove, Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing by Timothy Heritage