The president proclaimed that France is “at war” with terrorists, but also warned against overreactions. USA officials waxed hopeful that Russian Federation was finally coming around, pointing out that Russian Federation signed on to a diplomatic statement in Vienna on Saturday calling for a “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition”.
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Portraying himself as the only viable alternative to jihadi rule, Assad has labelled all his enemies “terrorists” – a designation that, in the wake of the recent attacks on civilians by IS, may find greater resonance. One hopes that he has the wisdom to reject the blandishments of a short-sighted accommodation with al-Assad, and that he uses the shared grief of Russians and French to draw Russia into a new consensus.
But with so many protagonists, conflicting military strategies and the ever-present sectarian divide within Syria, that optimism seems premature.
Mr. Obama noted that Mr. Trudeau still is reviewing the Trans-Pacific Partnership but said he expected they would establish “the kind of high-standards agreement that protects labor, protects the environment”.
“This timetable starts after starting defeating terrorism”.
Russian Federation and Iran would have to be a big part of engineering such a solution – but they have leverage.
“This is their response, and I think that there might be more”, he said, adding that he believed the attack was tied to Russia’s airstrike campaign in Syria.
Iran is mostly Shiite and supports Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of that side of the Muslim divide.
But Obama insisted Syrians would not accept Assad staying in power, after a brutal civil war that has seen his regime carry out indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
Underlining the worldwide fallout from Syria’s conflict, France, still reeling from the attacks orchestrated by Islamic State extremists on Friday that claimed 129 lives in the worst terror attack on its soil, asked the United Nations to ramp up the fight against the jihadists.
In remarks after the meeting, the US president also continued to defend his administration’s screening process for Syrian and Iraqi refugees entering the country.
Iran, another major ally, wants to maintain a counterbalance to Israel and keep another Shi’a ally in the region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday the West had to drop its demands about the political exit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if it wanted a genuinely global coalition against ISIS.
Speaking on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Manila, Mr Obama said it was “unimaginable” that Mr Assad remain in power in Syria. The war against the IS should be as much ideological as physical.
The wheels are in motion for a process that could possibly usher Assad out.
Ints Kalnins / ReutersThe USA president’s comments came on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing that Russia is ready to support the opposition military squads fighting with terrorist groups in Syria.
Russia, the United States and their allies in Europe and the Middle East all back U.N.-mediated talks between the Syrian opposition and government and favor a unity government in Syria within six months leading to elections 18 months later. The West and Russian Federation appear to have made small steps in bridging the vast chasm between their positions on Assad after agreeing a new transition plan in Vienna last week. Syrian dictator Assad will, obviously, never be a true partner, as he initiated the spiral of violence in Syria.
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But Assad is not likely to go willingly anytime soon.
