The Syrian government has submitted a formal declaration of the chemical weapons in its possession and a plan for their removal, a crucial first step in an international agreement to destroy or remove its stockpiles and weapons.

The declaration was in line with the deadline set by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international agency overseeing inspections of Syria's chemical weapons.

As the Obama administration presses the United Nations this week to rid Syria of its chemical weapons, it faces the stark reality that the United States has failed to meet a 2012 deadline to destroy its remaining arsenal, and has never pressured its closest Middle East ally Israel to sign the treaty banning such weapons.

When President Barack Obama decided he wanted congressional approval to strike Syria, he received swift—and negative—responses from his staff. National Security Adviser Susan Rice warned he risked undermining his powers as commander in chief. Senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer pegged the chances of Congress balking at 40%. His defense secretary also raised concerns.

Mr. Obama took the gamble anyway and set aside the impending strikes to try to build domestic and international support for such action.

The United Nations team investigating a chemical weapons attack last month in Syria has found that sarin was used.
"In particular, the environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Amalaka in the Ghouta area of Damascus," a 38-page report says.
Chemical weapons "were used on a relatively large scale," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a briefing to the U.N. Security Council.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday sent a strong warning to Syria, saying 'the threat of force is real' if it does not carry out an internationally brokered agreement to hand over its chemical weapons.

Kerry issued the warning during a stop in Jerusalem, where he briefed jittery Israeli leaders on the new U.S.-Russian plan to rid neighboring Syria of its chemical weapons by the middle of next year. In comments aimed at his hosts, Kerry said the deal also served as a "marker" for the international community as it deals with Iran's suspect nuclear program.

Calling it “an important step” toward ridding the world of chemical weapons, President Obama on Saturday praised an agreement between the U.S. and Russia that will, in theory, result in Syria relinquishing its toxic arsenal.
But the deal doesn’t mean the U.S. is backing down from its threat of military force.
“There are consequences should the Assad regime not comply with the framework agreed today. And if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act,” Mr. Obama said in a statement shortly after the deal was unveiled.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says any move by Syria to surrender its chemical weapons to international control would be an "important step," amid signs that a diplomatic solution was taking shape in the international crisis over Syria.

"But this cannot be another excuse for delay or obstruction. And Russia has to support the international community's efforts sincerely or be held to account," she said.

As President Obama gets ready to address the nation on Syria on Tuesday, a majority of voters say the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its citizens. Even so, most say the United States should stay out of that country’s civil war.
A Fox News poll released Monday also finds disapproval of Obama’s handling of Syria has jumped to 60 percent, up from 40 percent in May. And more voters describe him as a “weak and indecisive leader” on foreign policy (48 percent) than a “strong and decisive leader” (42 percent).

President Obama’s “red line” for Syria is once again being tested after rebel forces said Wednesday that the regime of President Bashar Assad used poison gas to attack civilians near Damascus, killing potentially hundreds in what could turn out to be the deadliest deployment of chemical weapons yet.
Adding to the pressure on the White House were videos supplied by rebels showing victims convulsing and choking, and powerful photos of children wrapp