Thousands march on parliament in Albania where they are denouncing a U.S. request that the country take on the job of dismantling Syria's chemical weapons.

(SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, MESILA DODA, SAYING:

"No to chemical weapons. No to hazardous substances poisoning the lives of our children, your lives and the lives of your relatives."

The request for Albania to take on the role came under a Russian-American deal to destroy Syria's weapons program by mid-2014.

The deal helped avert threatened U.S. missile strikes against Syria after an August sarin gas attack killed hundreds of people outside Damascus.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama indicated Wednesday that he was in favor of the deal.

But protesters in the capital Tirana Thursday were not.

(SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT, ANNOUNCING TO CROWD, SAYING:

"Albania is not the property of the Prime Minister but all Albanians."

Albania has e