Syria chemical weapons deal a plus for all, says Barack Obama

Washington: President Barack Obama says an agreement between the US and Russia not only offers a chance to destroy Syria's huge stockpile of chemical weapons, it promises to end the threat the weapons pose to the region and the world.

Obama says the international community expects Syria to live up to its public commitments to hand over its chemical weapons stockpile. Warning that the US remains prepared to act if Syria falls short, the president also cautions that more work remains even after the progress the deal represents.

US and Russian officials on Saturday reached an agreement calling for an inventory of Syria's chemical weapons program and seizing all its components.

The agreement includes imposing penalties if Syrian President Bashar Assad's government fails to comply.