Obama addresses Americans on the issue of Syria, vowing to keep pressure on President Assad

Mr Obama making his Prime-Time TV address last night.

US President Barack Obama has said he will pursue diplomatic efforts to move Syria's chemical weapons but has ordered the US military to "be in a position to respond" if such measures fail. In a televised address on Primetime television, Mr Obama said he had asked Congress to postpone a vote authorizing the use of force. The US threatened airstrikes against the Syrian government after a chemical weapons attack which killed hundreds last month. Russia, a key ally of Syria, has proposed that the countries Chemical Weapons stockpiles be placed under international control to avoid military intervention. Although Syrian officials have agreed in principle, the US and its allies remain sceptical. Speaking from the White House, President Obama spoke of the chemical weapons attack which the US blames on the government of President Bashar Al Assad: "The images from the massacre are sickening" he said, adding: "On that terrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off limits, a crime against humanity and a violation of the laws of war". The Syrian government has repeatedly denied it was behind the attack, blaming opposition fighters, but President Obama has remained adamant: "We know that Assad's chemical weapons personell prepared for a gas attack near an area where they mix sarin gas", before adding that the US believed they then distributed gas mask to Syrian army troops, before firing rockets into areas which the regime has been trying to clear of rebels for days.
Source for additional reporting: BBC.