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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Kerry Says U.S. Working to Convince Assad to Go

2013-02-14

[An Nahar] Washington aims to change Syrian

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's
Scourge of Qusayr...
belief that he can hang onto power and accept "the inevitability" of his departure, Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Mekong River U-boat commander, former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, current Secretary of State...
said Tuesday.

"We need to address the question of President Assad's calculation currently," Kerry told news hounds. "I believe there are additional things that can be done to change his current perception."
"What're y'gonna do?"
"Send him a letter."
"What kinda letter?"
"A strong letter."
The new top U.S. diplomat said he would not go into specifics in public, but has a "good sense" of possible proposals.

Speaking after talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Kerry said he was convinced there was a certain "inevitability" given the current state of the conflict.

"Now, that hasn't sunk into him yet, obviously," Kerry added.

Although the top U.S. diplomat has yet to outline the contours of his first foreign trip, he said one of his purposes was to "try to see what can be done with respect to that calculation and how we might be able to affect it."

The United States is working for a negotiated solution to the 23-month conflict in which some 70,000 people are said to have died, Kerry said.

The aim was to avoid "the implosion of the state, because that's dangerous for everybody, and it proposes the possibility of the worst kinds of outcomes."

Posted by:Fred

#7 What about the rest of 2.6 million Alawites---where are they are supposed to go?

He's done the sales pitch for what eventually had that sort of death toll before.

Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-02-14 20:19

#6 #3 Please remove the double-posting.

Done. :-)

Posted by: trailing wife 2013-02-14 16:14

#5 ~~smaht diplomacy~~

catch up diplomacy

Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-02-14 12:33

#4 What about the rest of 2.6 million Alawites---where are they are supposed to go?

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-02-14 10:44

#3 His departure is one drone strike away if you really wanted it.

How different is a terrorist in Yemen that plots and coordinates potential attacks upon Americans different from one who participated, plotted and coordinated attacks upon Americans in Iraq during the '00s from Damascus?

It's interesting the dance of shadows and slight of hands those on the public stage engage in.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-02-14 08:50

#2 Please remove the double-posting.

Posted by: JohnQC 2013-02-14 08:42

#1 Thought Bashir al-Assad, AKA pencil neck was sort of gone. It has been reported that he moved with his family and associates to a warship off Syrias coast, where he is being guarded by Russian naval forces. Still calling the shots in Damascus?

Posted by: JohnQC 2013-02-14 08:41

00:00