WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama has spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper about chemical weapons use in Syria.
The two leaders talked by phone Monday as Obama was seeking congressional approval for a military strike in Syria but also was considering a potential deal for Syria to turn over its chemical weapons stockpiles to avoid a U.S. attack.
The White House says Obama and Harper agreed there must be a strong international response to chemical weapons use to ensure that similar atrocities won't occur in the future.
Canada is among two dozen countries that have signed a joint statement blaming the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad for using chemical weapons in an attack last month outside Damascus. The statement doesn't explicitly call for military action.