Talks that could avert a U.S.-led strike in Syria were centered Friday some 1,800 miles away in Geneva, leaving some optimistic about not just the removal of chemical weapons from the war-torn nation but about the prospects for a long-term peace.

A day after the United States made its case for launching a military strike against Syria, U.N. inspectors left the war-ravaged nation Saturday carrying evidence from the sites of the chemical weapons attacks