REPORT: Obama asks Congress to approve military strike against Syria ...

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President Barack Obama stepped back from the brink on Saturday and delayed an imminent military strike against Syria to seek approval from the U.S. Congress in a gamble that will test his ability to project American strength abroad and deploy his own power at home.

Before Obama put on the brakes, the path had been cleared for a U.S. assault. Navy ships were in place and awaiting orders to launch missiles, and U.N. inspectors had left Syria after gathering evidence of a chemical weapons attack that U.S. officials say killed 1,429 people.
But Obama decided to seek the backing of U.S. lawmakers before attacking, as polls showed strong opposition from Americans already weary of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Approval will take at least 10 days, if it comes at all.

"Today I'm asking Congress to send a message to the world that we are ready to move as one nation," Obama said in a dramatic shift he announced in the White House Rose Garden.
Obama, whose credibility has been called into question for not punishing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for earlier poison gas attacks, warned lawmakers they must consider the cost of doing nothing in Syria.

"Here's my question for every member of Congress and every member of the global community: What message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price?" he said.

By evening Saturday, the White House sent Congress its draft of a resolution to authorize Obama to use military force. The draft does not lay out a specific timeline or course of military action but gives Obama approval to use the military as he determines "necessary and appropriate" to meet its objective of preventing further chemical attacks. It also affirms the administration's view that, ultimately, only a negotiated political settlement can resolve the crisis in Syria.

An aide to House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, confirmed that the speaker's office had received the draft.

FBI sharpens scrutiny of Syrian nationals in US:

The New York Times newspaper reported that the FBI has increased its surveillance of Syrian nationals inside the United States in order to thwart any reprisals in the event of a US military strike against Syria.

The newspaper added that the government has also warned federal agencies and private companies that a US military action in Syria could prompt cyberattacks.

Arab League foreign ministers:

Arab League foreign ministers are due to hold a meeting today in Cairo with talks featuring high on the repercussions of a potential US military strike, mainly on Syria and neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon.

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President Bashar al-Assad said Syria was capable of confronting any external attack after U.S. President Barack Obama said there should be a military strike on Syria.

"Syria ... is capable of confronting any external aggression," state television quoted Assad as saying at a meeting with Iranian officials.

"The American threats of launching an attack against Syria will not discourage Syria away from its principles ... or its fight against terrorism supported by some regional and Western countries, first and foremost the United States of America."

Syria generally refers to rebels fighting to topple Assad as "terrorists".

Meanwhile, Syria's opposition coalition called on the U.S. congress to grant approval for military action against President Bashar al-Assad and said any intervention should be accompanied with more arms for the rebels.

"The Syrian Coalition believes any possible military action should be carried out in conjunction with an effort to arm the Free Syrian Army. This will be vital in restraining Assad and ending the killing," the coalition said in a statement.

This comes as President Barack Obama's decision to seek Congressional approval before going ahead with a military strike on Syria was the start of a U.S. "retreat", Syrian state media said.

"Obama announced yesterday, directly or through implication, the beginning of the historic American retreat," the comments, which were carried in a front-page editorial in Syria's official al-Thawra newspaper, said.

As well, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voiced confidence that Congress "will do what is right" with President Barack Obama's request that it approve his call for limited U.S. military strikes against Syria.

He also added that tests proved positive for use of the chemical weapon sarin in Syrian chemical attacks.

For his part, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said France would not act alone in Syria but would await a decision by the U.S. Congress on whether to launch an attack against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

"France can not go it alone," Valls told Europe 1 radio. "We need a coalition."

France's prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, is scheduled to meet with the heads of the two houses of parliament and the opposition on Monday to discuss the Syrian situation ahead of a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.

This as British Prime Minister David Cameron voiced his support to US President Barack Obama over Syria after Obama said he would ask Congress to vote on military strike action.

In turn, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the United States and some European states are concerned about the decision by Britain's opposition Labour Party to vote down a government motion that could have paved the way for a strike on Syria.

"There is some serious concern in other capitals, not just across the Atlantic but in European capitals as well, about the position they (Labour) have taken in voting down a government motion (on Syria)," Hague told Sky TV.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the Jewish state is braced for any potential scenario in Syria.

This comes as Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the Syrian government, a strong ally of Tehran, had carried out chemical weapons attacks against its own people, the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported.

"The people have been the target of chemical attacks by their own government and now they must also wait for an attack by foreigners," Rafsanjani said, according to ILNA. "The people of Syria have seen much damage in these two years."

For its part, Saudi Arabia said it was time for the world to do everything it could to prevent aggression against the Syrian people, and that it would back a U.S. strike on Syria if the Syrian people did.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal made his comments as the United States prepares strikes against the Syrian government, blaming it for a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians.

"We call upon the international community with all its power to stop this aggression against the Syrian people," Faisal said in Cairo, where he was attending a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers to discuss Syria.

On the prospect of a U.S. strike, he said: "We stand by the will of the Syrian people. They know best their interests, so whatever they accept, we accept, and whatever they refuse, we refuse." The meeting was expected formally to blame Assad for the gas attack.

This as the U.N. said that U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval for possible military action against Syria can be seen as part of an effort to forge a global consensus on responding to the use of chemical arms anywhere.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon views Obama's decision "as one aspect of an effort to achieve a broad-based international consensus on measures in response to any use of chemical weapons," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

"The use of chemical weapons will not be accepted under any circumstances," he added. "There should be no impunity and any perpetrators of such a horrific crime against humanity must be held accountable."