NEW MILFORD, Pa.— President Obama is calling reports that the Syrian government attacked its people with chemical weapons “very troublesome,” saying that the use of such weapons threatens the “core national interests” of the United States and adding that he faces an abbreviated timetable to decide how to respond.
In an interview with CNN that aired Friday morning, Obama addressed the ongoing strife in Syria for the first time since opposition leaders accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of carrying out a massive chemical weapons attack on hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
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Obama said his administration was still gathering information about the attacks reported early Tuesday and is pushing for a United Nations investigation. The photos, videos and witness accounts that have circulated so far, he said, indicate that“this is clearly a big event of grave concern.”
Asked about the possibility of U.S. intervention, Obama told CNN anchor Chris Cuomo that he had to weigh carefully what he thinks is in the best short- and long-term interests of the United States.
“We remain the one indispensable nation,” Obama said. “There’s a reason why, when you listen to what’s happened around Egypt and Syria, that everybody asks what the U.S. is doing. It’s because the United States continues to be the one country that people expect can do more than just simply protect their borders.”
Obama said the use of chemical weapons “starts getting to some core national interests that the United States has, both in terms of us making sure that weapons of mass destruction are not proliferating, as well as needing to protect our allies, our bases in the region….This is something that is going to require America’s attention.”
At the same time, Obama said, despite calls from opposition groups and some U.S. lawmakers for immediate action, “that does not mean that we have to get involved with everything immediately. We have to think through strategically what’s going to be in our long-term national interests, even as we work cooperatively internationally to do everything we can to put pressure on those who would kill innocent civilians.”
“Jumping into stuff that does not turn out well,” Obama added, “gets us mired in very difficult situations, can result in us being drawn into very expensive, difficult, costly interventions that actually breed more resentment in the region.”
In an interview with CNN that aired Friday morning, Obama addressed the ongoing strife in Syria for the first time since opposition leaders accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of carrying out a massive chemical weapons attack on hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Bradley Manning protests, Bo Xilai trial in China, California wildfire, Syrian attack victims and more.
Obama said his administration was still gathering information about the attacks reported early Tuesday and is pushing for a United Nations investigation. The photos, videos and witness accounts that have circulated so far, he said, indicate that“this is clearly a big event of grave concern.”
Asked about the possibility of U.S. intervention, Obama told CNN anchor Chris Cuomo that he had to weigh carefully what he thinks is in the best short- and long-term interests of the United States.
“We remain the one indispensable nation,” Obama said. “There’s a reason why, when you listen to what’s happened around Egypt and Syria, that everybody asks what the U.S. is doing. It’s because the United States continues to be the one country that people expect can do more than just simply protect their borders.”
Obama said the use of chemical weapons “starts getting to some core national interests that the United States has, both in terms of us making sure that weapons of mass destruction are not proliferating, as well as needing to protect our allies, our bases in the region….This is something that is going to require America’s attention.”
At the same time, Obama said, despite calls from opposition groups and some U.S. lawmakers for immediate action, “that does not mean that we have to get involved with everything immediately. We have to think through strategically what’s going to be in our long-term national interests, even as we work cooperatively internationally to do everything we can to put pressure on those who would kill innocent civilians.”
“Jumping into stuff that does not turn out well,” Obama added, “gets us mired in very difficult situations, can result in us being drawn into very expensive, difficult, costly interventions that actually breed more resentment in the region.”