Diplomacy priority on Syria, says White House

WASHINGTON

McDonough (L) said the diplomacy is priority rather than a military strike. AP photo

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough told Sept.10 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives that diplomacy, rather than military action, is the priority on Syria now, U.S. Representative Gene Green said.

“We’re going to wait and see how this offering” for securing Syria’s chemical-weapons arsenal plays out, Green told Reuters as he left a briefing by McDonough for House Democrats. Green said he had been getting emails from constituents saying they wanted a diplomatic solution, and added: “That’s what’s happening now.”

“Now we’ll go back to our typical things, like the debt limit” being debated in Congress, he said. Influential Republican Sen. John McCain also said he is working to modify a congressional resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Syria to include a “strict” timeline for Syria to turn over chemical weapons.”