OBAMA: A Strike On Syria Would 'Absolutely' Be Off If Syria Gives Up Its Chemical Weapons
"Absolutely - if, in fact, that happens," Obama said in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, which was one of six interviews he gave at the White House on Monday.
Obama's comments came after a day of unexpected developments in the Syria situation. Secretary of State John Kerry first made what appeared to be an offhand remark in London early Monday, suggesting that Syria could potentially avoid a U.S. attack if it handed over "every single bit of his chemical weapons" to the international community in the next week.
Russia immediately jumped on the offer, despite the State Department's furious walk-backs of Kerry's remarks as "rhetorical" and "hypothetical." And Syria said it would "welcome" the offer.
Obama echoed his sentiments in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
"It's possible if it's real," Obama said. "... It's certainly a positive development."
Obama told PBS' Gwen Ifill that he had "conversations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin about this issue during their conversation last week at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg. But he emphasized that even if this deal led to a "breakthrough," it would require strict conditions and follow-up.
Obama also took credit for Russia's offer, noting that it did not come without the threat of U.S. military action.
"I don't think we would have gotten to this point unless we had maintained a credible possibility for a military strike and I don't think now is the time for us to let up on that," Obama told ABC.
More to come...