“Tonight, with a strong and forcible, precedent-setting resolution requiring Syria to give up it’s criminal weapons, the U.N. Security Council has demonstrated that diplomacy can be so powerful it can peacefully diffuse the worst weapons of war,” said Kerry.

The measure holds Syria accountable for living up to it’s pledge to give up its chemical weapons with a legally binding resolution. Kerry suggested that the diplomacy may have happened because of President Obama’s threat of force, but the end result so far appears to be both positive and peaceful.

“Our original objective was to degrade and deter Syria’s chemical weapons capability. And the option of military force President Obama has kept on the table could have achieved that,” said Kerry. “But tonight’s resolution, in fact, accomplishes even more. Through peaceful means, it will, for the first time, seek to eliminate an entire nation’s chemical weapons capability and, in this case, specifically Syria’s.

Kerry laid out specifics within the resolution that Syria will be required to comply with.