A White House official says President Barack Obama has agreed to discussions at the United Nations Security Council on a proposal from Russia to secure Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles. 
 
 The official says Obama discussed the proposal Tuesday with French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron. France's foreign minister says France will float a resolution in the U.N. Security Council aimed at forcing Syria to make public its chemical weapons program, place it under international control and dismantle it. 
 
 Obama has said the proposal marks a potential breakthrough that could halt plans for a U.S. military strike, though he said the details remain unclear. 
 
 The official requested anonymity because the officials was not authorized to discuss the private conversations by name. 

 WASHINGTON — President Obama, facing implacable opposition to a strike against Syria in Congress and throughout the country, said Tuesday that he would hold off on military action for now and pursue a Russian proposal for international monitors to take over and destroy Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons. 
 
 Speaking to the nation from the White House, Mr. Obama laid out his most extensive and detailed case for an attack to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons. But he also acknowledged the deep doubts of Americans who after the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan view any form of military engagement in Syria with alarm. 
 
 In a speech that only 48 hours ago was going to be solely a call to arms, Mr. Obama instead offered a qualified endorsement of a proposal that his own advisers conceded was rife with risk, given Russia’s steadfast refusal to agree to any previous measures to pressure Syria, its longtime ally. 
 
 “It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments,” Mr. Obama said. “But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force.”
– President Obama has agreed to UN Security Council discussions on the Russian proposal that Syria hand over its chemical weapons, a White House official tells the AP. Obama talked about the idea, first accidentally floated by John Kerry, with David Cameron and Francois Hollande today, the official said. France will put a resolution before the Security Council that would force Syria to reveal and dismantle its chemical weapons program. Syria has reportedly already agreed to the idea. A bipartisan group of eight senators today endorsed the idea, the New York Times reports. They're drafting a resolution, in consultation with the White House, that would set a deadline for the UN process, and authorize military force if that deadline is not met. The group includes noted Syria hawk John McCain, who told CBS today that he was "extremely skeptical" of the plan, but added that "to not pursue this option would be a mistake." John Kerry, meanwhile, said this was the "ideal" way to end the showdown, but warned Congress that, "We're not waiting long," Politico reports.