U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday delivered a televised speech to the nation to explain his administration's policy on Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. 

U.S. President Barack Obama

Obama said he has a deeply held preference for peaceful solutions to the Syria crisis.

"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 U.N. Security Council requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control."

"Over the last few days, we've seen some encouraging signs, in part because of the credible threat of U.S. military action, as well as constructive talks that I had with President Putin," said the president.

The Russian government Monday called on the Syrian government to give up chemical weapons.

The Syrian government welcomed Russia's effort to avert the potential US strike against the country and said that it would hand the chemical stockpile over to international control and join the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Obama admitted that Russia's 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."

He said he will continue to talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the Syria crisis and he will also send Secretary of State John Kerry to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

But the pesident did not rule out use of force in Syira if diplomacy fails to work.  

"It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments," Obama warned.

He said the U.S. will continue to rally support from its allies from Europe, Asia and Middle East who agree on the need for action over Syria's allged chemical weapon attack.

The president used a large part of his speech to sell his idea of military intervention in war-torn Syria to punish the Assad regime for the reported use of chemical weapons on August 21 which the U.S. said killed over 1400 people.

"If we fail to act, the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons," argued Obama.

"As the ban against these weapons erodes, other tyrants will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using them," said Obama. "Over time, our troops would again face the prospect of chemical warfare on the battlefield, and it could be easier for terrorist organizations to obtain these weapons and to use them to attack civilians."

If fighting spills beyond Syria's borders, these weapons could threaten U.S. allies like Turkey, Jordan and Israel, warned the president.

"A failure to stand against the use of chemical weapons would weaken prohibitions against other weapons of mass destruction and embolden Assad's ally, Iran, which must decide whether to ignore international law by building a nuclear weapon or to take a more peaceful path," he said.

"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 said.

He said the 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."

But he said he will not put American boots on the ground in Syria, adding that "I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya or Kosovo."

"This would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective, deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad's capabilities, said the President.

"But a targeted strike can makes Assad - or any other dictator - think twice before using chemical weapons," he argued.

He said he has ordered the U.S. military to maintain their pressure on Assad and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)