Obama OKs Chemical Weapons Aid to Syria Evren Atalay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images WASHINGTON - President Obama has formally authorized American shipments to Syria of non-lethal equipment and supplies specifically aimed at countering the threat of Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons as the world waits for them to be neutralized. In a signed order, Obama today waived prohibitions of such shipments by the Arms Export Control Act, determining that the assistance is "essential to the national security interests of the United States." Among the groups expected to receive the aid is the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the group expected to lead any monitoring and enforcement effort under the deal to transfer stockpiles under international control. An administration official said the authorization has been in the works since before the massive Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack. This aid is separate from the lethal and other assistance the U.S. has been shipping to Syria.