Obama says to work with Russia, partners on Syria chemical weapons

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday night said in a White House address that the United States will work with Russia and other partners to work on a UN resolution making Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime give up chemical weapons.

"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," said Obama during a prime time address.

Obama said he is sending Secretary of State John Kerry to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, and he will continue his own discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while cautioning it is still too early to tell if the Russian proposal will work, and pledged to give UN inspectors the opportunity to report their findings on the alleged attack.

"It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and 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, particularly because Russia is one of Assad's strongest allies," said Obama.

Obama also said he has asked Congress to postpone a vote on the military strike against Syria, and let more time for diplomacy to work.

But the president said he still asked U.S. military to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on Assad and to "be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails." He said "credible threat of U.S. military action," along with efforts made by Russia, brought about the recent positive development.

Obama reiterated the accusation that Assad's forces used chemical weapons, saying it is "not only a violation of international law, it's also a danger to our security."

"After careful deliberation, I determined that it is in the national security interests of the United States to respond to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike," Obama explained his plans before the Russian proposal emerged.

Lavrov on Monday proposed that Syria "place its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control so they can be destroyed." The proposal was met with positive response from Syria. Obama welcomed the proposal later in the day, saying it is a "potentially positive development."

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