Kerry sees 'unbelievably small' strike on Syria

He had earlier called for Syrian President to turn over arsenal, an argument the State Dept claimed was 'rhetorical'

US Secretary of State John Kerry said an "unbelievably small, limited" military strike will be enough to halt Syria's use of chemical weapons and hasten a political settlement to the 2 1/2-year civil war.

As Congress got set to debate a US intervention, Kerry sought to reassure the public that the Obama administration won't let a Syrian campaign evolve into a years-long commitment with ground troops, like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"We're not talking about war, we're not going to war," Kerry said in a press conference in London today after a three-day mission to Europe. He spoke of a "limited, very targeted, very short-term effort." (SYRIA STRIKE COSTS)
 

Syria's bid to frustrate that effort took Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem to Moscow on Monday, seeking a joint approach with Russia to defuse Western assertions that the Syrian regime is using chemical munitions against its own people. The two allies called for a peace conference instead of US strikes.

Russia seized on a comment by Kerry as a sign that a last-ditch Syrian concession would avert US airstrikes. The top US diplomat said a way out for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be to to turn over "every single bit" of his chemical-warfare stockpile within a week.

Kerry quickly added that Assad "isn't about to do it." The State Department then said the US hadn't set an ultimatum and that Kerry was making a "rhetorical argument about the impossibility and unlikelihood of Assad turning over chemical weapons he has denied he used," spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters travelling with Kerry.

Lavrov bid
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov interpreted Kerry as offering to pull the US back from the brink. Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia would urge Syria to surrender its chemical munitions if doing so would prevent a US-led strike.

The build-up toward another intervention by Western powers in West Asia pushed oil prices to a two-year high on September 6. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped from that peak on Monday, falling 0.6 per cent to $109.82 per barrel at 4:15 pm London time.

Assad interview
As US President Barack Obama took his case to the US public, Assad did the same. In an interview with CBS News correspondent Charlie Rose, Assad denied a role in the August 21 chemical attack near Damascus that the US says killed more than 1,400 people.

Assad said if Obama initiated military strikes on Syria the US should "expect every action" in retaliation. "There are going to be repercussions," Assad said in an interview with Charlie Rose on CBS's This Morning programme, an excerpt of which was aired on Monday morning. The US President makes his case for military intervention in an address to the nation scheduled for 9 pm Washington time on Tuesday.

Kerry's timeline
Kerry offered a timeline of what happened on August 21, saying that Assad's regime ordered preparations for a chemical attack, moved forces to the location and then launched rockets that "all came from regime-controlled territory and all landed in opposition-controlled or contested territory".

"We know this," Kerry continued. "We know that within moments of them landing in that territory, the social media exploded with videos that we also know could not be contrived."

Congress returns to Washington on Monday from recess. The Democratic-controlled Senate is likely to vote on a Syria resolution by the end of the week. The House, controlled by the opposition Republicans, takes up Syria on September 16.