Clinton: Russia Must Embrace Regime Change in Syria

US 'Made It Clear' Russia Must Endorse Regime Change

Speaking today from a conference in Stockholm, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that she has warned her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that the Russian government has to change its position on Syria.

My message to the foreign minister was very simple and straightforward,” Clinton said, saying that she believes Russia “has to be at the table helping” with the US-backed regime change in Syria.

Naturally this is the exact opposite of the Russian position, as Russia has resisted calls to oust their long-time ally Bashar Assad and expressed concern that NATO nations, France in particular, seem to be using the ongoing unrest in the nation as an excuse for war.

Lavrov reiterated that Russia supports Kofi Annan’s peace plan, which involves a ceasefire leading to negotiations. The US has criticized the ceasefire repeatedly, and rebels have demanded that the UN announce and end to it so they could launch attacks more freely.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.