US President Barack Obama has said he will put plans to carry out a military strike against Syria on hold if the country agrees to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control.
Obama's remarks came after Russia asked Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed to avoid US military strikes.
According to the BBC, the idea appeared to have stemmed from an inadvertent suggestion by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
When asked at a news conference whether there was anything Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could do to avoid a military strike, Kerry replied that he could hand over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week, the report said.
Obama said he was skeptical that Syria would relinquish its weapons.
