President Barack Obama said Tuesday that a potential diplomatic option has prompted him to ask Congress to postpone a vote on a resolution authorizing military force in Syria.
Obama acknowledged that a proposal for Bashar al-Assad to relinquish control of his chemical weapons has gained traction in the last day and “has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force” because of Russia’s support for the idea.
The president said he has asked Congress to postpone a vote on the resolution originally scheduled for this week while the administration considers the diplomatic path. He said that Secretary of State John Kerry will be meeting with his Russian counterpart on Thursday.