A Russian-backed proposal that would see Syrian President Bashar Assad surrender his chemical weapons stockpile to international custody has been panned by Salim Idriss, the head of the Syrian opposition’s Supreme Military Council.

“We announce our definitive rejection of the Russian initiative to place chemical weapons under international custody,” said Idriss, in a video posted online.

Following U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision on Tuesday to shelve a military strike against Assad’s forces, fresh clashes broke out across Syria, including a renewed push by government troops to retake the Christian town of Maaloula, northwest of Damascus.

(MORE: Putin Calls for Diplomacy on Syria in Times Op-Ed)

Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lands in Geneva on Thursday where he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The pair will then begin the tough task of pulling together a plan that will allow Assad’s government to turnover…