In an interview today with CBS News, Secretary of State John Kerry said his goal is the push the Syrian government until President Bashar Assad is willing to negotiate with him, with an eye on a post-war transition.
Though the comments were couched as being part of a “transition of power” away from the current Syrian government, the implication of such negotiations is that Assad’s ouster is not an immediate precondition.
That implication is also apparent in recent comments from pro-US opposition factions, with reports over the weekend that they intend to discuss the possibility of leaving Assad in power for at least the next two years as part of the “transition” process.
Kerry’s comments put the US more directly in line with that position, though it isn’t clear if the administration intended that to be the case, with the State Department quickly disavowing Kerry’s comments.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insists that there was always an intention to negotiate with a “representative” for Assad, but that no US government official would ever be willing to negotiate with Assad himself.
This conflict between the two statements is likely part of the administration’s ongoing policy of deliberate vagueness on the war, trying to satisfy conflicting interests with conflicting statements, while their exact policy often remains very much a mystery.
In one hand Swedish prosecutors willing to travel to London for questioning Assange, in the other Kerry willing to negotiate a peace deal with president Assad…, what this world is coming to? A democracy in action perhaps…, after almost 4 years and destruction of three countries, creation of a barbarian caliphat regime, millions upon millions being displaced from Iraq than Libya and Syria and all of the sudden USG with some of its allies wants for peace to be negotiated…, there was peace and prosperity for Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians and….., they had to destroy it to find out.
Lol. This is a non story. Kerry has always said he can negotiate leaving power. Assad would be a moron to leave power.
Marie, hire me, I'd be happy to talk with Assad's representatives.
And just when does the US plan to stop supporting terrorists in Syria so that there might be a post-war era?
The only thing that needs to be negotiated with Assad is how much the US will send to reconstruct Syria.
This is rich! When the squeeze is on you duck. The destruction of Syria and the creation of another armada of Syrian refugees which might have been prevented by negotiating with Assad several years ago is now the result. Slam dunk, huh? Johnny?
The action by our MSM against Assad has already begun. Yesterday scenes of bombings near Damascus were shown. They were ugly like for all bombings of civilian housing but no different from the ugly results of Israel's bombing of Gaza which of course was not mentioned.
"…the State Department quickly disavowing Kerry’s comments."
It's just as I always suspected: the hapless Kerry is not in charge and has no idea what is going on. What a dunce. Sounds like he forgot to clear his statement with Victoria Nuland, the real Secretary of State.
If your talking about any US government functionary, in truth you are talking about an official of the Isreali government or a representative of some banker or merchant of death, whether its neo-con filth like Nuland, a known Quisling, or Cotton, a Likud Party crazy. Kerry has no independent existence, in the end he does what his lobbyist owners tell him to do.
The only thing a war criminal like Kerry should be negotiating is a dance at the end of a rope.
Kerry's look of total defeat verges on tears, what a man
Perhaps Assad would be willing to 'sell' part of the Golan Heights to Israel in return for permanent peace and diplomatic relations. Israel's needs are water and security. Just 'sell' them the area around the Sea of Galilee and put an international peace-keeping force on the 'heights'. Of course, US taxpayers would end up footing the bill for it but that's not as bad as war.
As Jimmy Carter correctly observed some time ago, we no longer have a functioning democracy in the US. If I were Assad, I would declare the illegitimacy of the US Government and demand negotiations with a legitimate representative of the US people concerning the establishment of a legitimate "transition government" within a reasonably short period of time. I would also refuse to negotiate with anyone who is currently violating the UN Charter by actively supporting the violent overthrow of the legitimate Syrian government which is currently recognized as such by the UN.
Excellent.
USA could have already avoid 4 years of war and supply of arms to Syrain rebels.They could already have reach some agreement with Assad about his regime change.How much blood Obama and Kerry have on their hands…
The CIA, the US administration, State Department, all are working to overthrow the Syrian government, only the completely naive do not understand their actions. There is nothing vague about it. – weapons, military groups, publicity, diplomacy for war, nothing is vague about it. Until the USA government is overthrown and the capital which owns it is prohibited from ever taking power and using its mass war propaganda machine nothing will change