Politics
Syria: Obama postpones military option – to provide diplomacy a chance to resolve crisis
U.S. President Barack Obama postponed his threat to strike Syria, after Bashar al-Assad’s regime welcomed a Russian plan to gather and destroy its chemical arsenal.
In an address from the White House, Obama said he had asked U.S. lawmakers to delay a vote on whether to authorize military action while Washington studies the Russian initiative.
He said he would stay in personal contact with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and would dispatch Secretary of State John Kerry to Geneva for talks on Thursday with his Russian counterpart.
“It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments,” a somber Obama warned.
“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.”
Obama said U.S. cruise missile destroyers would remain stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, ready to administer a punitive strike.
“The U.S. military doesn’t do pinpricks,” he said.
“Even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver.”
