Diplomacy aimed at placing Syria's chemical weapons under international control has produced some "encouraging signs," US President Barack Obama said Tuesday, dpa reported.
He cited Russia's willingness to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish chemical weapons, and Syria's admission that it has such arms and sudden willingness to join the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits their use.
Obama said he would continue his dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The US will give UN inspectors the opportunity to report their findings and will continue to rally support from allies on the need for action, he said.
Obama said it was too early to know if diplomatic efforts would succeed, so he has ordered the US military to "maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on Assad, and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails."