| USA TODAY | - |
SHARECONNECT
24 TWEETCOMMENTEMAILMORE. Some familiar faces showed up at the White
House on Tuesday, ready to help President Obama with upcoming
congressional votes on military action in Syria.
US Congress leaders back President Barack Obama on Syria action
President Barack Obama
speaks to media in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington,
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, before a meeting with Congressional leaders to
discuss the situation in Syria. A vote for war can make or break a White House hopeful.
The politically fraught decision weighs on potential 2016 Republican
candidates Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama
won firm backing from key Republican leaders on Tuesday for
"proportional" strikes on Syria, as Washington closed ranks to warn
Damascus that chemical attacks would not be tolerated.
The dramatic developments in Washington came as the UN refugee agency released grim new statistics revealing the staggering humanitarian calamity in Syria, saying that more than two million people had now fled the violence.
Obama said he hoped for "prompt" votes next week on authorizing force against Syria as he met congressional leaders, and said he was sure he would secure the necessary support.
After an hour with the president, Republican speaker of the house John Boehner — who has fought tooth and nail with Obama over domestic policy — emerged with a firm endorsement of his rival's strategy.
"I am going to support the president's call for action," Boehner said, in an exceedingly rare moment of unity on Washington's polarized political battlefield.
"This is something that the United States as a country needs to do," Boehner said, calling on Republican colleagues to follow his example.
Moments later, another key Republican, house majority leader Eric Cantor — popular with the party's conservative rank and file — also backed Obama.
"Assad's Syria — a state sponsor of terrorism — is the epitome of a rogue state, and it has long posed a direct threat to American interests and to our partners," Cantor said.
The house, as opposed to the Democratic-led Senate, was seen as the tougher sell for Obama, after he put apparently imminent military strikes on hold on Saturday and decided to seek authorization from Congress — even though he did need not strictly need it.
It may be that the cover offered by their leaders will persuade wavering house Republicans to fall into line behind the strikes.
Democratic house leader Nancy Pelosi said she wanted more information about the US intelligence on the August 21 attack that allegedly killed hundreds of civilians and sparked the crisis, but she appeared to be leaning towards a yes vote.
"President Obama did not draw the red line. Humanity drew it decades ago," Pelosi said.
As the White House cranked up an offensive to win over sceptical lawmakers, the US secretaries of state and defence were to appear before a Senate panel later on Tuesday.
Obama said the chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb, which Washington says killed more than 1,400 people, posed a serious national security threat to the United States and its allies.
"As a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable," he said, while assuring Americans he would not use ground troops.
But Assad warned in an interview with Western media released on Monday that US strikes could set off a wider Middle East conflict.
"Everyone will lose control of the situation once the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will spread. There is a risk of regional war," Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro.
More than 100,000 people have died, ever since the rebellion to oust the long-time leader erupted in March 2011.
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday revealed that some two million Syrians have now fled in a tide of humanity which is straining resources in neighbouring countries.
Millions more have been displaced inside Syria.
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, described the figures as a "disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history".
The two-million milestone — which represents a nine-fold increase in 12 months — was not just an appalling statistic, but represents "two million individual stories. Two million people, many have lost their houses, members of their families, their possessions", he said.
On average, some 5,000 Syrians flee their country every day, the UNHCR says.
Amid the mounting tension in the region, Israel and the United States launched a missile over the Mediterranean as part of a joint exercise.
However, the Pentagon said the test was not linked to any possible US military action against Syria.
"The test was long-planned to help evaluate the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense system's ability to detect, track, and communicate information about a simulated threat to Israel," Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
France, which backs Obama in his determination to launch a military intervention in Syria, on Tuesday called on Europe to unite in its response to the crisis.
"When a chemical massacre takes place, when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer," French President Francois Hollande said.
"This answer is expected from the international community," he said. Paris on Monday released an intelligence report which said Assad's forces had carried out a "massive" chemical attack last month.
Based on military and foreign intelligence services, the report said the regime launched an attack "combining conventional means with the massive use of chemical agents" on rebel-held areas near Damascus on August 21.
France has emerged as the main US ally in the Syria crisis after the British Parliament last week rejected involvement in any military action.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to push Russia and others to back a diplomatic solution to the Syria conflict at the G20 summit in Saint Petersburg this week.
The dramatic developments in Washington came as the UN refugee agency released grim new statistics revealing the staggering humanitarian calamity in Syria, saying that more than two million people had now fled the violence.
Obama said he hoped for "prompt" votes next week on authorizing force against Syria as he met congressional leaders, and said he was sure he would secure the necessary support.
After an hour with the president, Republican speaker of the house John Boehner — who has fought tooth and nail with Obama over domestic policy — emerged with a firm endorsement of his rival's strategy.
"I am going to support the president's call for action," Boehner said, in an exceedingly rare moment of unity on Washington's polarized political battlefield.
"This is something that the United States as a country needs to do," Boehner said, calling on Republican colleagues to follow his example.
Moments later, another key Republican, house majority leader Eric Cantor — popular with the party's conservative rank and file — also backed Obama.
"Assad's Syria — a state sponsor of terrorism — is the epitome of a rogue state, and it has long posed a direct threat to American interests and to our partners," Cantor said.
The house, as opposed to the Democratic-led Senate, was seen as the tougher sell for Obama, after he put apparently imminent military strikes on hold on Saturday and decided to seek authorization from Congress — even though he did need not strictly need it.
It may be that the cover offered by their leaders will persuade wavering house Republicans to fall into line behind the strikes.
Democratic house leader Nancy Pelosi said she wanted more information about the US intelligence on the August 21 attack that allegedly killed hundreds of civilians and sparked the crisis, but she appeared to be leaning towards a yes vote.
"President Obama did not draw the red line. Humanity drew it decades ago," Pelosi said.
As the White House cranked up an offensive to win over sceptical lawmakers, the US secretaries of state and defence were to appear before a Senate panel later on Tuesday.
Obama said the chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb, which Washington says killed more than 1,400 people, posed a serious national security threat to the United States and its allies.
"As a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable," he said, while assuring Americans he would not use ground troops.
But Assad warned in an interview with Western media released on Monday that US strikes could set off a wider Middle East conflict.
"Everyone will lose control of the situation once the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will spread. There is a risk of regional war," Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro.
More than 100,000 people have died, ever since the rebellion to oust the long-time leader erupted in March 2011.
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday revealed that some two million Syrians have now fled in a tide of humanity which is straining resources in neighbouring countries.
Millions more have been displaced inside Syria.
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, described the figures as a "disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history".
The two-million milestone — which represents a nine-fold increase in 12 months — was not just an appalling statistic, but represents "two million individual stories. Two million people, many have lost their houses, members of their families, their possessions", he said.
On average, some 5,000 Syrians flee their country every day, the UNHCR says.
Amid the mounting tension in the region, Israel and the United States launched a missile over the Mediterranean as part of a joint exercise.
However, the Pentagon said the test was not linked to any possible US military action against Syria.
"The test was long-planned to help evaluate the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense system's ability to detect, track, and communicate information about a simulated threat to Israel," Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
France, which backs Obama in his determination to launch a military intervention in Syria, on Tuesday called on Europe to unite in its response to the crisis.
"When a chemical massacre takes place, when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer," French President Francois Hollande said.
"This answer is expected from the international community," he said. Paris on Monday released an intelligence report which said Assad's forces had carried out a "massive" chemical attack last month.
Based on military and foreign intelligence services, the report said the regime launched an attack "combining conventional means with the massive use of chemical agents" on rebel-held areas near Damascus on August 21.
France has emerged as the main US ally in the Syria crisis after the British Parliament last week rejected involvement in any military action.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to push Russia and others to back a diplomatic solution to the Syria conflict at the G20 summit in Saint Petersburg this week.
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