Kerry Says Deal on Syria 'Exceedingly Difficult'

[cali]

WASHINGTON—Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday that it would be "exceedingly difficult" for Syria to meet the international community's conditions for giving up its chemical weapons and avoiding a threatened U.S. military strike.

As President Barack Obama prepared to deliver a nationally televised address Tuesday night on the Syrian crisis, Mr. Kerry urged skeptical lawmakers to back the administration's call to launch a limited attack against Syria if a last-minute diplomatic gambit fails.

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"It is exceedingly difficult to fulfill those conditions," Mr. Kerry told the House Armed Services Committee. "We're waiting for that proposal, but we're not waiting for long."

Mr. Kerry said the evolving diplomatic effort couldn't become a protracted international delaying tactic used by Syria and Russia to fend off a military strike without addressing America's underlying demands.

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