Kerry Concedes U.S. Must Talk to Assad to End Syria War
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the civil war now entering its fifth year, Secretary of State John Kerry conceded in an interview that aired Sunday.
"Well, we have to negotiate in the end. We've always been willing to negotiate in the context of the Geneva I process," Kerry said in an interview carried out Saturday.
He stressed Washington was working hard to "re-ignite" efforts to find a political solution to end the war.
The United States helped lead international efforts to kick-start peace talks between Assad and a splintered Syrian opposition, bringing the two sides together in Geneva for the first time early last year.
But after two rounds of talks, the negotiations collapsed in bitter acrimony and no fresh negotiations have been scheduled while the scale of the killing and devastation has mounted.
"Assad didn't want to negotiate," Kerry told CBS television.
"So if he's ready to have a serious negotiation about the implementation of Geneva I, of course, if people are prepared to do that. And what we’re pushing for is to get him to come and do that," he replied when asked if he would negotiate with Assad.
More than 215,000 people have been killed and half of the country's population displaced, prompting human rights groups to accuse the international community of "failing Syria."
The country has been carved up by government forces, jihadist groups, Kurdish fighters and the remaining non-jihadist rebels.
"This is one of the worst tragedies any of us have seen on the face of the planet," Kerry said, in an interview recorded in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
He insisted that despite the challenge of the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group which has seized territory in Iraq and Syria, Washington was still focused on ending the Syrian civil war.
"We are increasing our efforts in a very significant way, working with the moderate opposition, but doing much more than that also," Kerry said.
"We're also pursuing a diplomatic track. We have had conversations with a number of different critical players in this tragedy," he said.
Russia, which has close links to Assad, helped initiate the Geneva II talks in 2013, which were aimed at bringing about a political transition based on earlier Geneva I negotiations.
Kerry met in Geneva at the beginning of March with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ways of bringing all sides back to the negotiating table.
"We are working very hard with other interested parties to see if we can reignite a diplomatic outcome," Kerry said.
U.S. President Barack Obama "is extremely seized of the issue and focused on it with the intent to see what we can do to change the dynamic."
15 March 2015, 15:19
811
Yes talk with Assad, Geneva 1 or 2 are all over. The takfiris does not have samw power anymore.
15 March 2015, 18:00
711
The fighting will continue, until we are rid off your god forsaken takfiris texas. The same ones that your CIA trained and funded. Yes we will take them on alone.
Now from two sides, the Iraqis are continuing their assaults on Tikrit, whilst the takfiris in Syria are loosing ground all over.
You are not winning texas, you might aswell give up with your friend terrorist, you tried you failed.
15 March 2015, 15:31
1010
Nope, it is Iran and Russia that protects him from your western plans ya takfir.
15 March 2015, 16:21
911
terrorist, you should accept your defeat and convince your takfiri brothers to negotiate, instead of jumping down the edge.
15 March 2015, 16:38
911
Now you should remember the Israelis backing of your beloved takfiris in the Golan Heights and elsewhere terrorist. Everybody knows about it, it's not a secret any longer.
Your beloved takfiris in the hands of IDF women. Who is the zionist lovers ya zalame?
https://youtu.be/G785kB8OKcU
15 March 2015, 17:57
1010
anonymousgayfromtexas, did you forget about the so called FSA moderates you said the U.S would arm? What happend to them?
By the way, when did the U.S help Assad? He never asked them to come in and bomb ISIS, they did so themselves. Unlike your takfiri cowards, that prayed for U.S airstrikes against the government for years. Who do you think are taking on ISIS on the ground? The Resistance my friend, not your americans.
15 March 2015, 18:02
910
Well, that's good to know that you admit the so called terrorist here is a takfiri. Well if he has any love for his brothers lives. Then they should drop their weapons & give up. Go to Turkey where they came from, and start over.
Otherwise the Resistance will just keep on slaughtering them. Plain and simple
15 March 2015, 19:02
99
ISIS & Nusra kills Muslim-Sunni aswell terrorist. So what you are typing, makes no sense.
Thousands of Lebanese died, by the hands of other Lebanese. That is what the Civil war was all about.
I would never expect a takfiri to save my kids, so all I can do is laugh at your threat.
All of the Resistance sons going over to fight your takfiri brethren are living martyrs, whom already accepted death.
15 March 2015, 19:13
78
Yes good norma.jean, you have to comfort your cutie so he do not get himself hurt.
He will live longer that way.
16 March 2015, 14:39
21
Whenever you say takfiri, what you really mean is sunni. Your kind has been stabbing the muslims in the back for centuries...
15 March 2015, 17:35
99
In politics interests prevail over everything else.
Assad was the bad guy and civil war was good until the US got what it wanted. This is exactly what happened to Aoun in 1990.
He learned his lesson and knew on which side to bank!
Bien joué!
15 March 2015, 18:13
710
In 1990 Geagea accepted a negotiated settlement with the Assad regime and ended up in jail. Aoun did not and ended up in exile.
They both fought the Syrians and they both fought one another. Thousands died and they both ended up losing politically.
"The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the civil war"
That is a huge change of heart that is coincidentally synchronized with the US-Iranian nuclear bargain.
The probabiliy of Assad staying in power for the foreseeable future is higher than at any other moment.
200,000 died, many more were injured and millions fled Syria, sacrificed in the name of negotiations and regional power plays.
15 March 2015, 21:48
03
"We have no permanent friend. We have no permanent enemies. We just have permanent interests."
~ Benjamin Disraeli, (PM of the United Kingdom, 1874-1880)
Even Jumblatt was shocked by Kerry's statement and he is the king of turnover!
15 March 2015, 18:06
812
Southern, we are wasting our time with this anonymousgayfromtexas. Everything he claimed was false, he wrote for a few weeks ago that 15.000 so called FSA were getting armed, now he claims they left the field.
He can never make up his mind, he lost all credibility a long time ago. Now the only thing he can do, is trying to get our attention with his garbage. His American masters lost this war, they know it. Look at Kerry so ridiculous, 5 years ago he called for Assad to step down and now he wants to talk negotiations.
15 March 2015, 19:06
97
pityful hezbis... after all that the assad regime did to Lebanon they still praise him... after all the killings of lebanese torture kidnappings, murders destructuion of lebanese villages, hezbis still praise this regime... then they pretend to be patriotic!
who can one be patriotic while praising a dictator that harmed his country?
i guess M8ers suffer from the Stockholm syndrom... sheep that love their butcher... pityful ignorant fools....
15 March 2015, 22:28
25
They were brainwashed into the Welayat El-Faqih concept (unlike the Caliphate for IS), and Iran is happy to finance them and use them as bargaining chips to promote its interests. They stopped thinking 30 years ago and their definition of Patriotism is so warped.
15 March 2015, 19:25
77
Looooooooool Mystic is so ignorant and naive to what really is happening around the world. Hey resistance boy: Syria has been Israel's protector since the armistice that ended the Yom Kippur War in 1973 (were you alive back then?). For the last 40+ years, the Assad family has ensured Israel's security, which explains why the US are not arming the Syrian opposition (besides night goggles and whatnot). So please keep your Hezbo ignorance off this site.
15 March 2015, 22:23
24
Just like Lebanon was the beneficiary of 50 years of a unified, peaceful Syria under Assad. Either you lack a logical brain or you are blinded by Sectarianism.
15 March 2015, 22:34
13
I really care less about world politics. I just pray for a united Lebanon free of corruption and corrupted officials, free of arms wielded by groups under different banners. I simply want a modern and strong Lebanon protected by no one other than our LAF and ISF. My friends will be the friends of such a Lebanon and my enemies will be the enemies of this Lebanon.
16 March 2015, 14:41
10
How is this new? Kerry and Obama have been pushing for negotiations for years. Remember Geneva 1 and 2? Now maybe they'll have 3 and 4 meanwhile the war will drag on....
