In an impromptu appearance before the White House press corps on Monday, President Obama repeated a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down from power. Obama said the U.S. was continuing to monitor the violence in the country, and planning for mulitple contingencies but was so far unwilling to commit to U.S. military engagement. The president did, however, indicate that the U.S. would consider the movement or use of chemical weapons by the Assad government “a red line.”
We are monitoring the situation very carefully, and we have put together a range of contingency plans, and we have communicated in no uncertain terms with every player in the region, that is a red line for us, and that there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons that would, that would change my calculations significantly.
