Saturday, October 1, 2016

The threat of military action: Kerry Expresses Frustration With US Policy in Syria

A leading U.S. newspaper has obtained an audio recording of Secretary of State John Kerry expressing his frustration with U.S. policy in Syria.


The New York Times says the recording was made last month in New York at a closed-door meeting with a group of Syrian civilians. The newspaper posted excerpts from the recording on its website Friday alongside an article about the meeting.

Kerry is heard complaining that his diplomatic efforts have not been backed by the threat of military action by his own government. "I think you're looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument."

Kerry also told the group that met at the Dutch Mission to the U.N. on September 22, "We're trying to pursue the diplomacy and I understand it's frustrating. You have nobody more frustrated than we are."

The group included representatives of four Syrian organizations that provide education, rescue and medical services in rebel-held areas in Syria; diplomats from three or four countries, and Kerry's chief of staff and special envoy for Syria.

The newspaper said a non-Syrian made the recording and the tape's authenticity was confirmed by several participants.

The Times said the group was "demoralized" by the meeting, with one woman asking how many Syrians had to be killed before the U.S. steps in to help Syrians beat back government troops.
 [voanews.com]
1/10/16
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1 comment:

  1. Closed-door comments by US Secretary of State John Kerry reveal much about US involvement in Syrian crisis, Dr. Jamal Wakeem, professor of history and international relations at Lebanese University in Beirut, told RT...

    The New York Times acquired the taped conversation between the US Secretary of State and two dozen Syrian civilians from education, rescue, and medical groups working in rebel-held areas, during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

    The leaked recording reveals how angry John Kerry really is about being unable to topple President Bashar Assad by military means.

    “I've argued for use of force. I stood up. I’m the guy who stood up and announced we’re going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process,” the Secretary of State said in the tape.

    He told the civilians that “you have nobody more frustrated than we are (the US)” that the Syrian issue is now being solved diplomatically.

    Kerry also warned the Syrians, who sounded clearly unhappy with Washington’s contribution, that attempts to intervene militarily or provide more support to the rebels by the US may have a reverse effect.

    “The problem is that, you know, you get, quote, ‘enforcers’ in there and then everybody ups the ante, right? Russia puts in more, Iran puts in more; Hezbollah is there more and Nusra is more; and Saudi Arabia and Turkey put all their surrogate money in, and you all are destroyed,” the diplomat explained.......https://www.rt.com/op-edge/361313-syria-kerry-leaked-tapes/

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