U.S. President Barack Obama declined to speculate on Friday whether he would go ahead with a military strike in Syria - IF the U.S. Congress votes AGAINST authorizing such a move.<br/> <br />Speaking during the final day of the G20 global economic summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Obama said a strike IS justified - but for much broader, global, security interests.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING:<br/> <br />"I put it before Congress because I could not honestly claim that the threat posed by Assad's use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians and women and children posed an imminent, direct threat to the United States."<br/> <br />And THAT was precisely the point Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hosted the summit, tried to make earlier in the day, calling unilateral military action "above the law".<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SAYING:<br/> <br />"Let me remind you that the use of force against a sovereign state is possible only if done in self-de
