Obama To Address Nation On Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a speech that was initially planned to try to build support for a military strike against Syria.

But as President Barack Obama addresses the American people, he's blending the threat of a military strike with the hope of a diplomatic solution that would get rid of Syria's chemical weapons.

And for now, the administration's efforts to get Congress on board for a strike against the Bashar Assad regime have taken on a far less urgent tone.

Syria's foreign minister said today his government is ready to turn over its chemical weapons stockpile, in line with a proposal from Russia. And he says Syria is prepared to sign an international chemical weapons convention that it has rejected in the past.

With Syria reacting positively to the Russian proposal, Secretary of State John Kerry has scheduled a trip to Geneva on Thursday to meet with Russia's foreign minister.

Watch President Obama's speech provided by the White House: