Summary US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington has evidence of sarin gas use by Syria.
DAMASCUS (AP) - A top Syrian government official on Sunday dismissed the Obama administration as confused and hesitant, even as Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington has evidence of sarin gas use by Syria and that the case for a military attack is getting "stronger and stronger."
At the Vatican, Pope Francis condemned the use of chemical weapons and appealed to all sides in Syria s civil war to lay down their arms. Francis said he would lead a worldwide prayer vigil for peace in Syria on Sept. 7.
Kerry spoke a day after President Barack Obama announced unexpectedly he would seek congressional approval before taking military action against President Bashar Assad s regime over a suspected chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus on Aug 21.
The decision marked a stark turnabout for the White House, which had appeared on the verge of ordering U.S. forces to launch a missile attack against Syria.
Syria s deputy foreign minister, Faysal Mikdad, claimed Sunday that Obama stepped back from his threat because his administration lacks evidence of Syrian government involvement in purported poison gas attacks.
"The hesitation and the disappointment is so obvious in the words of President Obama yesterday," Mikdad told reporters in Damascus. "The confusion was clear as well."
The Assad regime alleges the Aug. 21 attacks were carried out by rebel fighters, but has not presented proof. The state-run Syrian daily Al-Thawra, striking a gloating tone, said Obama s decision signaled defeat.
Kerry said in appearances on several television news shows Sunday that Obama has the right to take action against Syria, with or without Congress approval.
But he stopped short of saying Obama was committed to such a course even if lawmakers refuse to authorize force. Congress is to return from a summer break Sept. 9.
Kerry maintained there is no weakness in Obama s about-face. "This case (for an attack) is going to build stronger and stronger," Kerry told NBC s "Meet the Press."
He said that "the people of America should be celebrating that the president is not acting unilaterally."
Kerry told CNN s "State of the Union" that hair and blood samples from victims in eastern Damascus have "tested positive for signatures of sarin."
Kerry said the samples were provided to the US, and did not come from UN chemical weapons experts.
The experts spent a week in Syria, collecting biological and soil samples from stricken areas. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he would present the findings as quickly as possible.
Over the past week, the US Navy moved warships into the eastern Mediterranean as the Obama administration considered its options. Obama chose to get the backing of Congress before launching strikes, saying he believes taking that path will make the US "stronger."
The White House has sent Congress a draft of a resolution seeking approval for a military response to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade" the Assad regime s ability to use chemical weapons. The Senate will hold hearings next week so a vote can take place after Congress gets back to work.
The president s strategy carries enormous risks to his and the nation s credibility, which the administration has argued is on the line in Syria. Obama long ago said the use of chemical weapons was a "red line" that Assad would not be allowed to cross with impunity.
British Prime Minister David Cameron charted a similar course last week by asking the House of Commons to support military action against Syria, only to suffer a stinging defeat.
Across the Atlantic, Obama s speech sparked calls for French President Francois Hollande, who supports an armed response against Syria, to seek parliamentary approval before taking military action. Hollande is not constitutionally required to do so. France s parliament is scheduled to debate the issue Wednesday, but no vote is scheduled.
