Kerry Says U.S. 'Open' on Timing of Syrian President's Departure

[Ben D]

Kerry Says U.S. 'Open' on Timing of Syrian President's Departure
Updated Sept. 19, 2015 2:05 p.m. ET


LONDON—U.S. Secretary of State [URL='http://topics.wsj.com/person/K/John-Kerry/7196']John Kerry said on Saturday that the U.S. would accept a resolution to the Syrian war that allowed President Bashar al-Assad to remain in place for a period before stepping down.

“We’re not being doctrinaire about the specific date or time. We’re open,” Mr. Kerry said in London after a meeting with his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. [/URL]
He said Mr. Assad doesn’t have to leave “on day one or month one or whatever. There’s a process by which all the parties have to come together and reach an understanding of how this can best be achieved.”

Mr. Kerry on Saturday urged Russia to help bring Mr. Assad to the table for serious negotiations about a political transition. Previous efforts at peace talks between factions based on a 2012 Geneva communiqué have failed as the situation Syria has deteriorated.

Mr. Kerry said the U.S. and Russia’s commitment to taking on Islamic State in Syria could help facilitate fresh diplomatic talks with Syria’s government and opposition.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/john-kerry-eases-demands-on-syrian-presidents-departure-1442672253

 

[Andy C]

I'm sure the date for his departure is an open date. Our country has a great track record of enforcing dates or actions with Syria. Remember the red line? Obama told the world if Syria uses chemical weapons, that is a red line that can't be crossed. Of course Syria used those weapons, and nothing happened. Obama's statement reminds me of young parents always telling their kids "if you don't do whatever, your going to get getting spanked". You can only give kids idle threats so many times before they learn you are all talk and no action. It's really sad this is the same way the world views our threats of military force.

 

[Timna]

Kerry Says U.S. 'Open' on Timing of Syrian President's Departure

A couple of items here, one is that doofus Kerry wants to "speak" Assad's departure into existence, as if it is a done deal. That isn't likely to happen as long as Russia has any say in the matter. Russia has to protect Assad and his Alawite clan, along with their naval base, at any cost, and they will. Both "Lurch" and Hussein O. have an exaggerated sense of power and importance, absolutely contradicted by the evidence of their ineptness in the Middle-East, and elsewhere as well. One has to wonder why the Russkies allowed Assad to get so close to defeat before they stepped in, stepping in with no assurance that they will be totally successful in achieving their goals. But, it would be a bit refreshing to see Russia be successful in getting the upper hand against ISIS, when Hussein's coalition (loosely speaking) is merely going through the motions of actually combating ISIS, dropping millions of tons of munitions on ISIS and with no results.

 

[DanLMP]

So my next big question is do they have a replacement all lined up?
With Iran and Russia so integrated into Syria now I expect they would have a BIG say in who would replace him.
When all is said and done they may just end up with another Assad with a different name.
It will certainly be someone with marionette strings firmly attached.

 

[Timna]

So my next big question is do they have a replacement all lined up?
With Iran and Russia so integrated into Syria now I expect they would have a BIG say in who would replace him.
When all is said and done they may just end up with another Assad with a different name.

I would think that "IF" a replacement is installed, it would be announced as Assad stepping down on his own volition, but whether the Russkies would accept being "trumped," even in the short run by Hussein and John Kohn, over Assad, is debatable. We'll see what happens.

 

[DanLMP]

The way I'm seeing this is that Assad has gotten way too much bad press to make him a viable leader anymore. Too many people calling for his head just because he's Assad.
Makes it more difficult for the puppet masters to control the country.
The world leaders that are pulling his strings don't really care about Assad, they care about the control they need over Syria. Assad is a "throw away".

but whether the Russkies would accept being "trumped," even in the short run by Hussein and John Kohn, over Assad, is debatable.

Could you clarify this statement a little for me please Timna? I'm not sure what you are saying.

 

[Timna]

The way I'm seeing this is that Assad has gotten way too much bad press to make him a viable leader anymore. Too many people calling for his head just because he's Assad.
Makes it more difficult for the puppet masters to control the country.
The world leaders that are pulling his strings don't really care about Assad, they care about the control they need over Syria. Assad is a "throw away".



Could you clarify this statement a little for me please Timna? I'm not sure what you are saying.

There is a power struggle going on between Putin and Hussein/Kerry over the fate of Assad, so the question is, do the Russians (Putin) stick with Assad to defy Hussein/Kerry who are basically calling for his head to roll, or do they project weakness and yield to H-K and be "trumped" by H-K, so to speak, by having to remove Assad? I'm thinking that Putin doesn't like to lose and will stick with Assad. That wouldn't endear him to his fellow Marxist, Hussein O. Both Putin and Hussein O. have serious cases of megalomania.

 

[DanLMP]

There is a power struggle going on between Putin and Hussein/Kerry over the fate of Assad, so the question is, do the Russians (Putin) stick with Assad to defy Hussein/Kerry who are basically calling for his head to roll, or do they project weakness and yield to H-K and be "trumped" by H-K, so to speak, by having to remove Assad? I'm thinking that Putin doesn't like to lose and will stick with Assad. That wouldn't endear him to his fellow Marxist, Hussein O. Both Putin and Hussein O. have serious cases of megalomania.

I see several scenarios and that's one.

 

[Timna]

I see several scenarios and that's one.

Yes, there are other possibilities. Everything in the Middle-East is fluid and it is possible that Putin could try to placate some of his adversaries by getting Assad to step down, but his agenda is directly opposed to that of Hussein and John Kohn, so if he did "install" someone else it would be with a longer-term plan for Syria (what will be left of it), keeping his naval base and protecting the Alawites, imo. And, Hussein, his minions in the State Department, the EUrolalas, and other ptb almost assuredly would misread removal of Assad, thinking that they had the upper hand and that Putin yielded to their "demands." Putin is the strong one here and Hussein/Kerry are the weaklings.