Obama calls off congress votes over Syria strike amid negotiations

US President Barack Obama has reportedly called off congressional votes on limited military strike on Syria, as he waits to find a diplomatic solution to remove the regime's chemical weapons.

Damascus has admitted for the first time that it has chemical weapons and has agreed to abide by a Russian plan to hand over its arsenal.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry plans to meet with his Russian counterpart in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the proposal to have Syria turn over its chemical weapons stockpile to international control.

Obama had said that the military would respond to the chemical attacks, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in Syria, if diplomacy does not work, the BBC reports.

Meanwhile, the Syria welcomed the Russian initiative and foreign minister Walid Muallem agreed to cooperate with the governments about providing data on location of the weapons and added that their adherence to the Russian initiative has a goal of halting the possession of all chemical weapons.

Obama, in his televised speech said that the initiative to pursue diplomacy has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force, particularly because Russia is one of Assad's strongest allies, the report added.