Rose: Assad "opened the door" to handing over chemical weapons

After interviewing Syrian President Bashar Assad, CBS News' Charlie Rose said he thinks the dictator was open to the possibility of handing over chemical weapons to avoid a U.S. strike, the "CBS This Morning" anchor told WCBS-TV.

The interview occurred before Russia proposed a plan to have Syria give up its alleged chemical weapons to international control. Still, Rose had asked Assad how he would feel about giving up those weapons, despite Assad's repeated denials he had any.

Rose said that Assad would "consider it as a good idea."

"[Assad] seemed to open the door to me to the possibility that something could be arranged to prevent that kind of strike that is anticipated, albeit the fact that he had said throughout the interview "I don't have chemical weapons,'" Rose told WCBS.

Assad made the comments in his only television interview since President Obama asked Congress to approve a military strike against Syria and his first with an American network in nearly two years.

Reflecting on the interview, which occurred Sunday at the President Palace in Damascus, Rose said he felt that Assad was trying to "define himself."

"[The Syrian government] said to me the night before, 'He expects you to ask all the hard questions. He knows that you will and he is prepared for that,'" Rose said. "I think we did ... I think he wanted to try to define the world as he sees it on chemical weapons."

Assad refused to say whether or not he used any type of chemical weapons on his own people, but "he constantly made reference to the fact that the people who were [among] the rebels had significant ties to al Qaeda and al Qaeda affiliates, and that the U.S. should be fearful of that fact," Rose said.

Previously, Rose said Assad had appeared "remarkably calm"during the interview.

Clips from the interview first aired on "CBS This Morning" and "CBS Evening News" Monday. More of Rose's interview will Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" at 7 am ET.