Skip to main content

Tillerson again insists Syrian leader Assad must go

GENEVA: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson doubled down Thursday on Washington’s call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave power, looking past recent battlefield gains by his Russian-backed forces to insist that “the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end.”
Tillerson made the comments after what he called a “fruitful” meeting with UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who later announced plans to resume UN-mediated peace Syrian talks on Nov. 28. It will be the eighth such round under his mediation in Geneva since early 2016.
They come despite the fact that Assad’s forces have just in the past year recaptured Syria’s second-largest city and reached the key eastern city of Deir el-Zour, long under siege from IS fighters.
The top US diplomat used the occasion to reiterate Washington’s longstanding, hardline position against Assad, which has been overshadowed of late by the Trump administration’s focus more on defeating the Islamic State group than on ousting the Syrian leader.
Officials in Damascus could not immediately be reached for comment.
Tillerson also endeavored to play down Iran’s role in supporting Assad.
Syria’s civil war has left at least 400,000 people dead and driven more than 11 million people from their homes, and the United States has been calling for Assad to go nearly from the start of the uprising against him more than 6-1/2 years ago.
But this time, facts on the ground are playing more in his favor than at any time in years.
“The United States wants a whole and unified Syria with no role for Bashar Assad in the government,” Tillerson told reporters after the meeting at the US mission in Geneva. “The reign of the Assad family is coming to an end, and the only issue is how that should be brought about.”
“We do not believe there is a future for the Assad regime, the Assad family,” he said.
Tillerson made similar statements in April — before even greater territorial gains by Assad’s forces, prompting the Syrian leader to retort then that the diplomat had been “hallucinating.”
De Mistura announced the Nov. 28 date for the resumption of the intra-Syrian talks in an address by videoconference to the UN Security Council following the Tillerson meeting. He said it was time to move on the political track to end the conflict, saying “now is the moment of truth.”
“It would be a mistake by all of us if we think that time is on our side,” the special envoy said. “The best way to proceed requires indeed instead an intensified engagement among the key players in support of the Geneva parties.”
De Mistura said he would work to move into “real negotiation on a constitution and UN-supervised elections” while exploring the issue of governance and terrorism “in parallel” files. He expressed openness to any initiative that contributes to the UN-led process in Geneva.
Opposition delegations — which do not include Islamic State or other UN-designated terrorist groups — have never spoken directly to Syrian government envoys under de Mistura’s mediation.
Tillerson said any exit of Assad should be done through the Geneva process, but such a departure was not a “prerequisite” for that process to start.
In the past year, Assad’s Iran- and Russia-backed forces have recaptured Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, and last month they reached the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which had long been under siege from IS fighters.
Assad’s forces and their allies have been battling IS just as US-backed, Kurdish-led troops have pummeled the UN-designated terror group on another front: The Syrian Democratic Forces recently ousted IS from their so-called capital, Raqqa.
Speaking Thursday with a Russian delegation, Assad said the battlefield gains would pave the way for political progress, and that his government was ready to hasten the pace of national reconciliation.
He said his government would eventually address constitutional reforms and hold parliamentary elections.
Tillerson sought to play down any idea that the Syrian government’s advances might amount to a “triumph” for Iran, which has been a key backer of Assad.
“I see Iran as a hanger-on,” Tillerson said. “Iran has not been successful; the Russian government has been more successful. We have had success. I don’t think that Iran should be given credit for the defeat of ISIS in Syria.”
Tillerson met with de Mistura during a stop in Geneva on his way home from a trip to the Middle East and South Asia.
Officials said Tillerson had initially planned to meet with officials from the UN refugee and migration agencies and the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, but those meetings did not take place in his short visit in Geneva.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

India recall pacemen Umesh and Shami for Australia ODIs

MUMBAI:  India have recalled fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav for the first three one-day internationals against Australia while they continue to rest their frontline spinners. Yadav and Shami were part of the test squad which blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 but were rested from the subsequent five-match ODI series, which the tourists also swept.Fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who played two matches in the series and took a single wicket, was dropped from the 16-man squad for the series against Australia. The hosts will, however, continue to be without off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm tweaker Ravindra Jadeja for the first three of five matches against Steve Smith’s side. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be India’s spinners as the Virat Kohli-led side continues to build toward the 50-over World Cup in 2019 in England and Wales. “The team for the three ODIs against Australia has been selected in line with the rotation policy of the Board and ac...

United frustrate Liverpool in disappointing derby

LIVERPOOL:  A cautious Manchester United frustrated hosts Liverpool as a lacklustre North-West Premier League derby ended 0-0 on Saturday with neither side able to find the creative touch. The draw leaves United alone at the top of the table on 20 points although Manchester City, who are now a point behind, can regain first place when they host Stoke City later on Saturday.Those hoping for a classic blood-and-thunder clash of the two most successful clubs in English football were probably being overly optimistic but few would have predicted such an uninspiring 90 minutes at Anfield. United manager Jose Mourinho’s team selection suggested that, as last season, he would adopt a cautious approach to taking on Juergen Klopp’s side. Instead of Spanish craftsman Juan Mata on the right, the more defensively diligent Ashley Young started in the role and Marcus Rashford, carrying a slight knock from England duty, was left on the bench. With United’s Romelu Lukaku left alone – an...

Naya Shakti flays govt decision to award Budhi Gandaki Project to Chinese company

Baburam Bhattarai-led Naya Shakti Nepal has said that the decision of Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government to award the contract to construct Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project to China’s Gezhouba Group Corporation was against the nation’s interest. Issuing a statement on Thursday, the party criticised the government arguing that the decision to hand over the contract to construct 1200 MW project to the Chinese company was condemnable. Bhattarai, who is also a former Prime Minister, said that the government awarded the project to the Chinese company like a blank cheque. The party has also demanded that the government immediately scrap the agreement signed with the Chinese company. The government on June 4 had signed a contract agreement of the project with the Chinese company. Energy Minister Janardan Sharma and a representative from the Chinese company had signed the agreement paper for the construction of 1200MW project. A Cabinet meeting on May 23 had approved the Energy Mi...