While lauding the US-Russian framework agreement for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons, President Barack Obama has cautioned the Bashar al-Assad regime that Washington will keep up the pressure over its implementation in a timely fashion.
“And, if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act”, he asserted in a statement even though the framework agreement speaks of the UN Security Council dealing with punitive measures against any non-compliance by Syria.
Terming the US-Russian deal a concrete step towards the goal of moving Syria’s chemical weapons under international control so that they may ultimately be destroyed, Obama said the framework provides this opportunity in “a transparent, expeditious, and verifiable manner”.
“The international community expects the Assad regime to live up to its public commitments,” he said, adding the US will continue working with Russia, Britain, France, the United Nations and others “to ensure that this process is verifiable, and that there are consequences should the Assad regime not comply”.
The Pentagon maintained that the option of unilateral American military force has not been taken off the table. “We haven’t made any changes to our force posture to this point,” spokesman George little said, noting that it was the credible threat of military action that has driven diplomatic progress.
On Capitol Hill, where a majority of lawmakers have been opposed to the idea of an American military intervention in Syria, there was mixed reaction to the US-Russian deal. While many appeared relieved over averting military involvement, some leading Republicans, notably Senators John McCain and lindsey Graham, known for their hawkish line against Syria, slammed the deal.
Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, complained that the US has surrendered its leverage on the issue to Russia and called the deal “a Russian plan for Russian interests”. But, the Democratic Congressmen, Adam Schiff, felt the agreement represented a very positive step, even while conceding implementation with a very aggressive timeline was going to be tough.
PTI adds: Meanwhile, Obama on Sunday said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “protecting” the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. “I don't think that Putin has the same values that we do. And I think obviously by protecting Assad he has a different attitude about the Assad regime,” Obama told the ABC news in an interview.