Opposition rebel groups in Syria have rejected a Russian proposal for placing the Syrian regime's chemical arms under international control, calling for regime officials to be brought to justice.

Russia on Monday announced a proposal under which Syria would turn over its chemical weapons, and US president Barack Obama has postponed military action to consider the initiative.

The US claims the regime carried out chemical weapons strikes on a number of Damascus suburbs on August 21, killing more than 1,400 people. It has threatened to carry out punitive strikes.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad denies that, saying opposition rebels were responsible.

Free Syrian Army military commander General Selim Idriss told world powers on Thursday they should not "be satisfied only by removing the chemical weapon, which is the tool of a crime".

"Judge the author of the crime before the International Criminal Court, who has clearly acknowledged possessing (chemical weapons) and agreed to get rid of (them)," he said.

The Syrian National Coalition opposition group also questioned the Russian initiative, saying it is a "political manoeuvre aimed at buying time" for the regime.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 12 minutes 19 seconds 12 m Analyst James Nixey discusses Russia's plan

Questioning the motives of Russia - a close ally of Mr Assad - the coalition said it would be unacceptable unless it "called to account the crimes against the Syrian people".

The coalition also said that if the "response to Syria of the international community is not efficient and effective, Iran, North Korea and the militia of Hezbollah will consider it a green light to manufacture and use chemical weapons".

French report to place blame for 'chemical massacre'

Russia's four-point plan would see Syria becoming a member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, according to a report in Moscow.

Syria would then have to declare the location of chemical weapons arsenals and then allow OPCW inspectors to examine them and finally decide, in cooperation with the inspectors, how to destroy them.

An Israeli official says the existing Chemical Weapons Convention has never been a regional success.

Foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the 20-year-old convention - which has been proposed as the tool for verifying Syrian compliance - has failed to attract the multilateral support that would allow it to work, adding that Israel signed in 1993 but has never ratified it.

UN inspectors have visited the sites of the alleged attacks in Damascus and France has said their report will probably be issued on Monday.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday the report "will say that there was a chemical massacre" and that "there will certainly be indications" of the origin of the attack.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has warned that any US military strike on Syria that circumvents the United Nations would undermine the global body and risk "unleashing a new wave of terrorism".

Writing in an opinion piece published on the New York Times website, Mr Putin urged US politicians and the American public to accept Russia's proposal to confiscate Syria's chemical weapons and abandon plans for any military strike.

He said there was every reason to believe rebels were behind last month's chemical weapons attack in Damascus and that militants might be preparing an attack against Israel.

AFP