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Syria crisis: Obama vows to keep pressure on Assad Syria crisis: Barack Obama calls off Congress vote
(about 5 hours later)
President Obama says he will pursue diplomatic efforts to remove Syria's chemical weapons but has ordered the US military to "be in a position to respond" if such measures fail. US President Barack Obama has postponed a Congress vote on military action in Syria, vowing to pursue diplomacy to remove the regime's chemical weapons.
In a televised address, he said he had asked Congress to postpone a vote authorising the use of force. Damascus has admitted for the first time that it has chemical weapons, and has agreed to abide by a Russian plan to hand over its arsenal.
The US has threatened air strikes after a chemical weapons attack killed hundreds in Damascus last month. The US threatened strikes after a gas attack killed hundreds last month.
Russia has proposed such weapons be placed under international control. Mr Obama blames the regime and said the military would respond if talks failed. Syria blames rebels for the attack.
Although Syrian officials have agreed in principle, the US and its allies remain sceptical. More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.
The Russian plan triggered a day of diplomatic wrangling at the UN on Tuesday. The latest report by UN rights experts, released on Wednesday, says torture and rape are widespread and war crimes are being committed by both sides.
Speaking from the White House, President Obama said his administration had long resisted calls for military action in Syria because he did not believe that force could solve the civil war. 'Encouraging signs'
But he said he changed his mind after the chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on 21 August. Russia announced the plan on Monday and Syria quickly responded, saying it "welcomed" the initiative.
"The images from this massacre are sickening," he said. Late on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem then made the fullest public admission of the regime's stockpile and a much clearer commitment to the Russian plan.
"On that terrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off limits, a crime against humanity and a violation of the laws of war." "We are ready to inform about the location of chemical weapons, halt the production of chemical weapons, and show these objects to representatives of Russia, other states and the United Nations," he said.
The Syrian government has strongly denied carrying out the attack and instead blamed rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad. "Our adherence to the Russian initiative has a goal of halting the possession of all chemical weapons."
But Mr Obama said the US "knew" the Assad regime was to blame. But the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow says there still appears to be disagreement between the Russians and the Syrians over whether the weapons should be destroyed.
"We know that Assad's chemical weapons personnel prepared for an attack near an area where they mix sarin gas," he said. He says the Syrians are eventually likely to concede the point and allow the arsenal to be destroyed because the Russians will argue that is the only way to gain broader acceptance of the plan.
"They distributed gas masks to their troops. Then they fired rockets from a regime-controlled area into 11 neighbourhoods that the regime has been trying to wipe clear of opposition forces." Until Tuesday morning, Mr Obama's government had been lobbying hard for support in Congress for military strikes.
Mr Obama said that such an attack was not only a violation of international law it was also a danger to US national security. But surveys of politicians had shown he was unlikely to win the planned vote.
"As the ban against these weapons erodes, other tyrants will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using them," he said. In a televised speech from the White House, President Obama said the Russian plan and the regime's admission that it held chemical weapons were "encouraging signs".
He said that "after careful deliberation" he had decided to respond to the use of chemical weapons through "a targeted military strike". "It's too early to tell whether [the Russian plan] will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments," he said.
"The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. That's my judgment as commander in chief." "But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force, particularly because Russia is one of Assad's strongest allies."
However, he said he would not "put American boots on the ground in Syria" or pursue open-ended action such as that in Iraq or Afghanistan. He said the diplomatic movements were in part a result of the credible threat of US military action, but that he was willing to postpone the Congress vote to allow diplomacy to be pursued.
He added: "Others have asked whether it's worth acting if we don't take out Assad. As some members of Congress have said, there's no point in simply doing a pinprick strike in Syria. Let me make something clear: The United States military doesn't do pinpricks." During his speech, Mr Obama restated the US position that Mr Assad's government was responsible for the 21 August attack, which he described as "sickening".
President Obama said he welcomed Russia's proposal as an alternative to military action, but added: "It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed. He said that such an attack was not only a violation of international law it was also a danger to US national security.
"Any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force." He confirmed earlier reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry would meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday, adding: "I will continue my own discussions with President Putin."
President Obama said he had therefore asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote to authorise the use of force "while we pursue this diplomatic path".
He confirmed earlier reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry would meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday, adding: "I will continue my own discussions with President (Vladimir) Putin."
"I've spoken to the leaders of two of our closest allies, France and the United Kingdom. And we will work together in consultation with Russia and China to put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control.""I've spoken to the leaders of two of our closest allies, France and the United Kingdom. And we will work together in consultation with Russia and China to put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control."
He added: "Meanwhile, I've ordered our military to maintain their current posture, to keep the pressure on Assad and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails."He added: "Meanwhile, I've ordered our military to maintain their current posture, to keep the pressure on Assad and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails."
The BBC's North America Editor Mark Mardell said the president's address was clear but almost entirely lacking in passion and devoid of new arguments. There were heated debates at the UN on Tuesday, with the UK, US and France calling for a timetable and the consequences of a Syrian failure to comply with any resolution spelt out.
The arguments at the UN continued on Tuesday with the UK, US and France calling for a timetable and the consequences of a Syrian failure to comply with any resolution spelt out. Washington has warned it will "not fall for stalling tactics". Washington had warned it would "not fall for stalling tactics".
Russia - an ally of President Assad - said any draft resolution putting the blame on the Syrian government was unacceptable and urged a declaration backing its initiative. Russia said any draft resolution putting the blame on the Syrian government was unacceptable and urged a non-binding declaration backing its initiative.
Moscow also opposes any resolution that would be authorised under Chapter VII of the UN charter, which would in effect sanction the use of force if Syria failed in its obligations.
UK government sources have told the BBC that the exact wording of the joint US, French and British resolution on Syria's chemical weapons is still to be agreed.UK government sources have told the BBC that the exact wording of the joint US, French and British resolution on Syria's chemical weapons is still to be agreed.