04.09 White House Presses Congress on Syria Strike Plan
WASHINGTON, September 3 (RIA Novosti) The White House amplified its argument Tuesday for a military strike on Syria, assuring a congressional panel that it had detailed physical evidence that chemical weapons were used by government forces and warning failure to act would have dire consequences.
But in an hours-long appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, President Barack Obamas top lieutenants on security and diplomacy faced aggressive questioning and struggled at times to explain overall US strategy on Syria and how the plan for a limited strike would fit into that picture.
Leading a trio of top Obama cabinet officials, Secretary of State John Kerry said the White House was certain beyond any reasonable doubt that the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad carried out chemical weapons attacks in the Damascus suburbs on Aug. 21.
We have physical evidence of where the rockets came from and when, Kerry said. Not one rocket landed in regime-controlled territory.
He repeated assertions made Sunday that testing of hair and blood samples from victims of the attacks in question had tested positive for signatures of sarin gas allegedly used. And he reiterated assurances that Obama had no intention of deploying any US troops into Syria itself.
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