U.S.: Syria 'Clearly Trying to 'Disrupt' Peace Talks
Voice of America
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday accused Syria of “clearly trying to disrupt" the U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending the bloody five-year civil war in the country by demanding that there be no discussion of removing President Bashar al-Assad from power.
The top U.S. diplomat said that violence in the war-wracked country has been "hugely reduced" -- by 80 to 90 percent -- since a “cessation of hostilities” was declared two weeks ago. But he said the "single biggest violator" of the truce has been the Assad regime.
“Aerial bombardments ... must stop,” Kerry said. “Look hard at who is committing these violations.”
He said “incremental violations threaten to undermine” efforts to permanently end the fighting and any effort to eventually hold elections in Syria.
Kerry spoke after meeting with his British, French, German and Italian counterparts Sunday in Paris about the Syrian crisis, a day before the U.N. talks are set to begin in Geneva.
Ahead of Monday's discussions, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem warned negotiators that any talk about the fate of Syria's president is off the table. "We will not talk with anyone who wants to discuss the presidency . . . Bashar al-Assad is a red line," Muallem said.
Assad Has to Go
Mohammad Alloush, the chief negotiator for Syria's main opposition group, said the president has to go, a demand the U.S. also has long made.
Alloush told the French news agency AFP, "We believe that the transitional period should start with the fall or death of Bashar al-Assad."
Kerry has urged both sides in Syria to proceed with the peace talks despite their conflict over the presidency.
Muallem said the Syrian government remains committed to the cease-fire agreement, but its delegation to the peace talks will only wait 24 hours for the opposition delegation to arrive for the talks. Muallem said Saturday in Damascus the diplomats will leave for Geneva Sunday.
A Syrian opposition official said the foreign minister is "halting Geneva talks before they start."
U.N. peace envoy Staffan de Mistura has said the Geneva meetings, which are scheduled to open on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict in March 2011, would not last more than 10 days.
Aid Deliveries
U.N. officials said the cessation of hostilities agreement has made it possible for U.N. and partner agencies to deliver food, medicine and other aid to 115,000 Syrian civilians living in areas under siege by government or opposition forces. They said last year, aid agencies were unable to access any of these areas.
But Kerry said he continues to be “deeply concerned” about the Syrian government’s efforts to deter the delivery of medical and surgical supplies.
Syria's five-year conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Comments
Madhu...the chemical attack using sarin was in fact a slam dunk...Clapper just gave Obama his needed "out" in the way he verbally phrased the answer...since the passing of the UNSC resolution against the the use of chemical weapons by Assad ....Assad has used since that UNSC resolution chemical attacks using mainly now chlorine a total of 58 verified times...since 2011 a verified overall use of chemical attacks of 161 times....REMEMBER that so called Obama red line that he is so proud in his interview that he resisted in carrying out..it has been crossed 58 times.....so much for the effects of "pride".....
WHAT is amazing is that Kerry and Obama think by talking to Putin in this manner Putin is going to rein in Assad.....just as they both think talking with Putin about Ukraine is going to rein him in...and what do we have right now in eastern Ukraine a full scale ground offensive for over eight weeks NOW and not a single complaint by Kerry and Obama and the UAF has lost just in FEB 37 KIAs and 102 WIAs.
This is just another in a long line of Kerry smokescreen statements that makes it look like he is doing something....when he has virtually no creditability in the ME....and after the Obama Doctrine interview neither does Obama.....
SO exactly why should the Russians, Iranians and YES Assad even pay attention to Kerry...they do not....
WHAT amazes me is the simple fact that neither Obama and or Kerry or even the NSC seems to fully understand that in the super power projection game........."perception" of what one will or will not do has a valid role....and right now the Russian, Iranian and Assad views of the "US power projection perception" wise is a big fat ZERO.
AND the Obama doctrine interview actually reinforces that "perception"......
IF.....IF Kerry really wanted to impress Putin about the Assad violations then hold a major UNSC meeting and lay the US IC detailed information on the table...social media has been doing this every single day of the so called "cessation of hostilities"....ALL the US IC has to do is to confirm the social media video footages from just about every air strike/ground attack violation BUT it does not...ever wonder WHY....???
NOTICE DoS has their so called Syrian Coordination Center that is suppose to verify such attack violations BUT have you read any statement from then...not a single report, word or utterance......
THEN they would have to call out their Kurdish proxies and the Iranians as well.....
Oh, so the intelligence wasn't slam-dunk about sarin gas? Do tell.
<blockquote>Obama was also unsettled by a surprise visit early in the week from James Clapper, his director of national intelligence, who interrupted the President’s Daily Brief, the threat report Obama receives each morning from Clapper’s analysts, to make clear that the intelligence on Syria’s use of sarin gas, while robust, was not a “slam dunk.”</blockquote>
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/…
So we had to remove Assad and start Iraq 2.0 based on evidence that was, er, "robust"? And this even from James "Saudi" Clapper. When some people questioned the obvious, that missile trajectories are not the same as examine patients, taking samples, analyzing them, etc....
No wonder the President doesn't think much of thinktankistan. No body outside of thinktankistan does, really, but the group think and fear within is so strong they really don't know that no one respects the process.