Obama 'could pause Syria attack plans'

US President Barrack Obama. BBC Photo

US President Barack Obama has said he will put plans for a US military strike against Syria on hold if the country agrees to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control.

But he said he was sceptical the Syrian government would follow through.

As the US Congress debates authorising an attack, Russia on Monday proposed Syria relinquish its chemical weapons.

The US accuses Damascus of war crimes including use of chemical weapons, allegations denied by the regime.

The US president on Monday gave a series of television interviews aimed at building support among a US Congress and public wary of new military action in the Middle East.The president maintains a limited strike is needed to punish Mr Assad's regime for the use of chemical weapons and to deter it from using them again.

"I want to make sure that norm against use of chemical weapons is maintained," Mr Obama told ABC News.

"That's in our national security interest. If we can do that without a military strike, that is overwhelmingly my preference."

Asked by Diane Sawyer of ABC News if he would put plans for an attack on pause should Mr Assad yield control of his chemical weapons, Mr Obama answered: "Absolutely, if in fact that happened."

Support for the measure in Congress authorising attacks on Syria has remained relatively low, with more than 230 of the 433 members in the House of Representatives reportedly either opposed to or likely to oppose strikes as of Friday.

In addition, polls show Americans remain wary of a strike against Syria, with only one in five believing that a failure to respond to chemical weapons attacks there would embolden other governments, according to an Associated Press poll concluded on Monday.

Many US politicians and members of the public remain concerned that military action could draw the nation into a prolonged war and spark broader hostilities in the region.

BBC