President Barack Obama has put off a congressional vote on military strikes against Syria, saying he would give diplomacy more time to rid the country of its chemical weapons arsenal.
While stepping back from what looked to be a certain defeat in his bid for domestic political support for a strike against Syrian president Bashar Assad’s military, Mr Obama still spent most of an address to the nation making the case for action as a deterrent to further use of chemical weapons and a warning to other countries tempted to use them.
“The images from this massacre are sickening.
“Men, women and children lying in rows, killed by poison gas, others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath, a father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk,” he said.
But he said he would give the proposal by Syria’s ally Russia to stockpile the weapons a try.
Polls show a majority of Americans want no more US military involvement in the Middle East after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments,” Mr Obama said. “But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force.”
The diplomatic deal that is under discussion would put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control. US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva to work out details.
Meanwhile, Mr Obama said he has ordered the military to remain prepared to carry out attacks if needed.
Addressing criticism over his promise of limited strikes, he said: “Even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver.”