President Barack Obama
asked congressional leaders to delay votes on authorizing military
action in Syria while the diplomatic process works itself out, the
president announced in a prime-time speech to Americans.
Obama said he will
continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will send
Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with his Russian counterpart,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Geneva, Switzerland, on
Thursday.
The United States will
also give U.N. inspectors the opportunity to report their findings about
the suspected chemical attack that occurred August 21, the president
said.
"Meanwhile, I've ordered
our military to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on
(Syrian President Bashar al-)Assad and to be in a position to respond if
diplomacy fails," Obama said in his 16-minute address.
Earlier, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid announced on the Senate floor that he had canceled a
briefing for all senators scheduled for Wednesday.
He said the Senate schedule was driven by developments and not by an artificial timeline.
"It's important that we
do this well, not quickly," he said. "We'll see what's going on. You
know, the last 24 hours has had some remarkable changes in what people
are talking about. Let's see what else happens."
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