Syria's President Bashar Assad May Exchange Chemical Weapons for Amnesty; Obama “Skeptical”
Syrian Foreign Minister Agrees to Surrender Chemical Stockpiles to International Forces
As President Obama pushes his case for an attack on Syria over the use of chemical weapons on civilians in Syria, Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad tells U.S. TV he has no chemical weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry has denied Assad's claims of not having a chemicals weapons stockpile. "Kerry says, #Syria strike would be 'unbelievable small- that is unbeleivably helpful.''
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Syria to give up its chemical weapons to international agencies to prevent an attack from the U.S. The suggestion comes on the heels of the Edward Snowden debacle, where the former NSA contractor was offered temporary asylum in Russia after holing out at a Moscow airport. Should the Russian proposal go through, it will be an act of redemption for the 'I am disappointed in the asylum' rhetoric from President Obama.
BBC News reported that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Walid Muallem, the Syrian Foreign Minister have agreed on disarming chemical weapons in Syria.
Despite what appears to be a move in the right direction, the United States and the Obama administration are sceptical about Russia's proposal. In the wake of the gore and horror captured by images and video footage of chemical weapons, President Assad's denial that there are no such weapons in Syria seems hardly appropriate. It also undermines the gravity and seriousness of the issue since there is a possibility that these weapons may be used in international warfare, including an exchange of missiles between Syria and the U.S.
Nonetheless, the United States commented that it will take a "hard look" at the offer. In a more recent report, Pres. Obama has said that he will put a Syrian attack on hold, if the Russian proposal goes through as planned. However, he also said that he did not believe the Syrian government would act in good faith and hand over its chemical stockpiles under international control.
Pres. Obama was quoted by ABC News as saying, "I want to make sure that norm against use of chemical weapons is maintained." He added, "That's in our national security interest. If we can do that without a military strike that is overwhelmingly my preference."
Meanwhile, the Syrian President told U.S. news channel PBS that an attack against Syria would be futile since the Middle East was about ready to explode. Syria itself is in a conflict over ousting Mr. Assad, while more than 100,000 civilians have died for the cause.
"You're going to pay the price if you're not wise with dealing with terrorists. There are going to be repercussions," he said, adding, "The government is not the only player in this region. You have different parties, different factions, different ideologies. You have everything in this decision now," BBC reported.
Implicit in an U.S. led attack are factions that still carry a grudge against the United States, such as the Hezbollah and the al-Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, was seized and killed in a raid by the U.S. Navy seals division in Pakistan.
Another major player in the region, Iran has also warned that rebels in Syria have access to chemical weapons and warned the U.S. against an attack against Syria.
President Obama, speaking to Diane Sawyer on ABC News, said that he would consider a "pause" from a strike, if chemical weapons in Syria were surrendered.
