Obama condemns 'sickening' Syria chemical weapons attack

US President Barack Obama in a live televised speech White House US President Barack Obama denounced what he called the "sickening" chemical weapons attack by Syrian forces in the Damascus suburbs, and said it posed a "danger" to US security. "When dictators commit atrocities, they depend on the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory," Obama, making his case for military action, said in a much-anticipated televised address to the nation. "The question now is what the United States of America and the international community is prepared to do about it," he added.
Obama also said it was "too early to tell" if Russia's plan to neutralize Syria's chemical weapons would work, but welcomed it as an alternative to military action.
"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," Obama said.
Source: AFP