Russian opposition Alexei Navalny vowed Tuesday to make an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin pay dearly for his Moscow poll win, saying he was preparing evidence to contest the vote results.

"We will do everything so that Sergei Sobyanin's victory will cost him dearer than any defeat," Navalny said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem on Tuesday said Syria has "already agreed" to an initiative by Russia for Damascus to hand over its chemical weapons stocks to international control.

"Yesterday, we had a round of very fruitful negotiations with (Russian Foreign Minister) Sergei Lavrov and he came forward with an initiative on chemical weapons," Muallem said in Moscow after meeting the speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament in comments quoted by Russian news agencies translated from Arabic.

The European Union on Tuesday cautiously welcomed a Russian plan to head off military action against Syria by destroying the regime's chemical weapons, saying it was waiting to see details of the proposal.

The EU executive, the European Commission, also announced the immediate release of 58 million euros (77 million dollars) destined to help refugees from the Syrian conflict in Lebanon.

President Michel Suleiman voiced on Tuesday his confidence that a new government that includes all powers will be formed in Lebanon.

He expressed before his visitors his confidence that a government “capable of withstanding local and international developments would be formed.”

France said Tuesday it would submit a resolution to the U.N. Security Council calling on Syria to put its chemical weapons beyond use or face military action.

The resolution, to be presented in New York later in the day, will also demand that the individuals responsible for an August 21 chemical attack on Damascus suburbs be put on trial at the International Criminal Court, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told a press conference.

Moscow is currently in talks with Damascus to develop a "concrete plan" for the Syrian regime to hand over its chemical weapons arsenal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"We (Russia) are currently working on preparing a workable, precise and concrete plan and for this there are literally right now, in these minutes, contacts with the Syrian side," Lavrov said at a news conference with his Libyan counterpart.

Syria's main opposition group denounced on Tuesday as a "political maneuver" a Russian plan on Syria's chemical weapons, saying it is part of a useless procrastination.

"The proposal of Lavrov is a political maneuver and is part of useless procrastination that will only result in more deaths and destruction for the Syrian people," said an opposition statement.

Senior Israeli politicians have voiced skepticism about Russia's proposal for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons to international control.

Avigdor Lieberman, who chairs the parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee, told Israel Radio on Tuesday that Syria could use the proposal to "buy time."

Iran "favorably welcomes" a Russian plan to head off threatened U.S. strikes on Syria by securing a deal to destroy the regime's chemical weapons, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Marzieh Afgham told a media conference in Tehran that the proposal should include the destruction of chemical weapons in the hands of rebel groups fighting to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

President Barack Obama conceded Monday night he might lose his fight for congressional support of a military strike against Syria, and declined to say what he would do if lawmakers reject his call to back retaliation for a chemical weapons attack last month.

The president sought to use a glimmer of a possible diplomatic solution — including vaguely encouraging statements by Russian and Syrian officials on Monday — as fresh reason for Congress to back his plan. Syria welcomed a proposal to turn over all of its chemical weapons to international control.