Obama: Congress, world credibility on the line with Syria

Aamer Madhani | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama on Syria: 'I do think we have to act' President Obama said Wednesday while speaking in Sweden that we must act on Syria because if we don't, "despots and other authoritarian regimes can start looking and saying, 'That's something we can get away with.' "

President Obama is in Sweden ahead of going to Russia for the G-20 summit

A Senate panel is to consider a resolution on Wednesday that would limit a Syria strike to 90 days

Obama says international credibility is on the line

President Obama said on Wednesday that international credibility is on the line with how the world responds to Syrian leader Bashar Assad's suspected use of chemical weapons.

"My credibility is not on the line," Obama said. "International credibility is on the line."

He added: "The question is, how credible is the international community when it says this is an international norm that has to be observed? The question is how credible is Congress when it passes a treaty saying we have to forbid the use of chemical weapons?"

The comments came during a news conference in Stockholm, where he is meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt before heading on Thursday to the Group of 20 summit in Russia, where he is likely to continue his push for international support of a military strike in response to a suspected chemical attack by the Assad regime two weeks ago.

Obama's visit marks the first bilateral visit by a U.S. president to Sweden.

The two leaders are discussing economic issues, trade and climate change, and Obama said he updated Reinfeldt on his pursuit of congressional authorization for a military strike against Syria.

Reinfeldt, while saying that those behind the chemical attack in Syria should be held responsible, expressed his country's stance that any action should be taken under the auspices of the United Nations — something that is unlikely given Russia has blocked any potential U.N. Security Council mandated action against the Assad regime.

Obama said he respects the U.N. process and said the U.N. investigators who gathered evidence in the area of the suspected attack did "heroic work."

"We believe that chemical weapons were used," he said, adding that he has high confidence Assad was the source.

Meanwhile, members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee voted in favor of a use-of-force resolution that would set a 60-day deadline for military action in Syria, with one 30-day extension possible. The resolution passed by a 10-to-7 margin with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., voting present.

"We commend the Senate for moving swiftly and for working across party lines on behalf of our national security," White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement. "We believe America is stronger when the president and Congress work together."

Obama's hopes of winning congressional backing for a military strike against Syria received a huge lift on Tuesday when two top House Republicans announced their support for taking military action against Syria.

Both House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., endorsed Obama's call for action against Assad's regime after meeting with Obama and other lawmakers at the White House on Tuesday.

Obama was asked on Wednesday what he would do if Congress rejects his call for use-of-force authorization.

"I believe that Congress will approve it," Obama said.

He defended his earlier statement that the use of chemical weapons by Syria was a "red line" that Assad must not cross.

"That's not something I just made up. I didn't pluck it out of thin air." Obama said, referring to international standards prohibiting the use of chemical weapons in combat. "I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line."

Obama decided to make the visit to Sweden ahead of the G-20 summit after scratching a trip to Moscow. He canceled a meeting there with Russian President Vladimir Putin as disagreements increased over the Syria situation and Russia's decision to give former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden temporary asylum.

Obama said he would continue to work with Putin, while acknowledging they've "hit a wall" in their relationship.

He also said he hasn't ruled out Putin's changing his position on Assad.

"I am always hopeful," Obama said.

"I have not written off the idea that the United States and Russia are going to continue to have common interests, even as we have some very profound differences on some other issues," he said. "And where our interests overlap, we should pursue common action."

Obama addressed international concerns about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs. The United States has faced criticism from European leaders in the aftermath of Snowden's leaking of information about the once-secret programs.

"I can give assurances to the public in Europe and around the world that we're not going around snooping at people's e-mails or listening to their phone calls," Obama said. "What we try to do is target very specifically areas of concern."