Kerry suggested that if a political solution could end the fighting between the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups and sufficient ground troops could be mustered, the militant group could be vanquished in months.
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As Washington’s interests in Syria, where Daesh is wreaking havoc, are “diametrically opposed” to those of Moscow, Secretary of State John Kerry’s praise for Russia’s engagement against the Takfiris mean “exactly the opposite”, an analyst says.
Speaking to reporters at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters following a meeting with foreign ministers of the alliance Wednesday, Kerry said: “I called on every North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally to step up support in the fight against Daesh, striking at the organization’s core in Syria and Iraq”.
A united Syria, however, could set the stage for defeating the Islamic State. The campaign will require local Syrian and Arab ground forces, too, he said at a European security conference.
“It is not clear that he (Assad) would have to go if there was clarity with respect to what his future might or might not be”, Kerry said. “We will continue to work very, very closely with our Iraqi partners on exactly who would be deployed, where they would be deployed, what kinds of missions people would undertake, how they would support Iraqi efforts to degrade and destroy Daesh”.
It is unclear if any Arab state would contribute significant ground forces to Syria anytime soon because of disagreements about the war and the fact that many militaries are already stretched tackling insurgencies, protecting borders or fighting conflicts closer to home.
Turkey and the US say the plane crossed into Turkish territory from Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waves the media as he’s arrives at the foreign ministry house before a meeting with Cyprus’ foreign minister Ionnis Kasoulides in Nicosia, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015. Iran, along with Russian Federation, is Assad’s biggest backer.
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Kerry said a political transition would be a boon for everyone, allowing the Islamic State to be “eliminated within a matter of months”.
