US President Barack Obama has delivered a speech from the White House to explain his policy on Syria's use of chemical weapons. He's vowed to explore a diplomatic path to solve the crisis.

"The Russian government has indicated a willingness with the international community in pushing Assad to give up his chemical weapons. The Assad regime has now admitted that it has these weapons, and even said they joined the chemical weapons convention, which prohibits their use. It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed. Any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the chemical weapons without the use of force, particularly because Russia is one of Assad's strongest allies. I have therefore asked the leader of the congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue the diplomatic path. I'm sending the Secretary of State John Kerry to meet his Russian counterpart on Thursday, and I will continue my own discussion with President Putin. I've spoken to leaders to two of our closest allies, France and the United Kingdom. And we will work together in consultation with Russia, and China, to put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council requiring Assad to give up chemical weapons, and ultimately destroy them under international control," Barack Obama said.