Earlier in the Syrian conflict, Obama’s administration had reluctantly decided to arm and train the "moderate" fighters battling against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
"Obviously, in light of what has happened in Iraq, we have even more to talk about in terms of the moderate opposition in Syria, which has the ability to be a very important player in pushing back against ISIL's [ISIS’s] presence and to have them not just in Syria, but also in Iraq," Kerry said at a meeting with Syrian opposition leader Ahmad al-Jarba in Jeddah.
- However, a senior State Department official traveling with Kerry clarified said that the secretary did not mean to suggest that Syria’s rebels would physically cross the border to fight in Iraq, according to the Associated Press.
On Thursday, the U.S. president requested $500 million from Congress for a Pentagon-run program that would expand efforts to arm Syria’s rebels, a move that shows the increased U.S. concern over conflicts in Syria and Iraq, which may be increasingly becoming an intertwined fight against extremist ISIS militants.
If Obama’s request is approved, the program would be the second front fighting against ISIS militants – whose activities are expanding from Syria and threatening to overwhelm Iraq.
- White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the military assistance "marks another step toward helping the Syrian people defend themselves against regime attacks, push back against the growing number of extremists like ISIL [ISIS] who find safe haven in the chaos, and take their future into their own hands by enhancing security and stability at local levels."
- Al-Jarba thanked Obama’s administration for the request from congress, but said that his rebels want even more foreign aid to fight on two fronts.
"We hope for greater cooperation with the U.S.," he said, adding that General Abdullah al-Bashir, head of the military arm of Syria’s opposition, "is ready to cooperate with the U.S. side."
Al-Jarba blamed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s for policies the he said had divided the country, and called last month’s crisis in Iraq “very grave.”
"The borders between Iraq and Syria are practically open," al-Jarba told Kerry.
ISIS seized a key border crossing between Iraq and Syria in the last week.......................http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/06/28/Kerry-suggests-Syria-rebels-could-fight-in-Iraq.html
28/6/14
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Related:
Obama seeks $500 mln from Congress to help moderate Syrian rebels
Iraqi PM confirms Syria carried out airstrikes on militants (he "welcomed" any such strikes)
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CNN interview: Hillary Clinton notes distance from Obama on Syria rebels (arming moderates in Syria)
Brahimi: Syria Terrorists Responsible Used Chemical Weapons in Khan al-Asal (interview with Der Speigel)
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Obama downplays threat by Islamic militants in Iraq ...
ReplyDeleteU.S. President Barack Obama on Friday downplayed the threat posed by Islamic militants making lightening advances in Iraq, saying the United States has been under "serious threat" during his entire presidency.
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" program, the president was asked about the threat by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as his former ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had described the splinter group of al-Qaida as one that " will be coming our way" with 2,000 fighters holding Western passports.
"I think we have been under serious threat my entire presidency, " Obama said. "And we have been under serious threat predating 9/ 11 from those who embrace this ideology."
He acknowledged that the group was gaining strength as it obtained more weaponry and cash in its rapid push in northern and western Iraq in the past two weeks.
"They're gaining strength in some places, but we've also got a lot better at protecting ourselves," he said.
The Obama administration is sending as many as 300 military advisors to Iraq in addition to stepped-up surveillance and intelligence gathering in the Arab country, but it has held off airstrikes on ISIL targets as requested by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
The administration asked Congress on Thursday for 500 million dollars to train and equip vetted members of Syria's opposition, as ISIL fighters are fighting both inside Iraq and Syria.
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2014-06/28/content_32800952.htm
28/6/14
Im Kampf gegen Isis.....Kerry hofft auf syrische Opposition....
ReplyDeleteWährend der US-Kongress über 500 Millionen Dollar für die syrische Opposition berät, trifft sich Kerry mit deren Repräsentanten in Riad. Der US-Außenminister hofft auf ein Heilmittel gegen Isis.
US-Außenminister John Kerry setzt im Kampf gegen die sunnitische Extremistengruppe Islamischer Staat im Irak und in Syrien (Isis) auf die moderaten syrischen Rebellengruppen. Vor allem die Nationale Syrische Koalition (NSC), ein Zusammenschluss mehrerer Oppositionsgruppen, könne eine wichtige Rolle dabei spielen, Isis zurückzudrängen.
Kerry traf sich bei seiner Nahost-Reise am Freitag mit dem NSC-Präsidenten Ahmed al-Dscharba in der saudischen Hauptstadt Riad, um über die Lage in Syrien und im Irak zu sprechen. „Er kennt die Menschen der Region, seine Meinung ist für ein Vorankommen sehr wichtig“, sagte Kerry. Al-Dscharba kommt aus dem nordsyrischen Kamischli, das mehrheitlich von Kurden bewohnt wird. Zugleich repräsentiert er den sunnitischen Schummar-Stamm, dessen Angehörige in Syrien wie im Irak leben.
Al-Dscharba sagte im Gespräch mit Kerry, die syrische Opposition brauche größere Unterstützung seitens der USA und regionaler Mächte wie Saudi-Arabien. „Mittlerweile beherrschen sektiererische Milizen unser Land“, mahnte der Exilpolitiker........................http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/im-kampf-gegen-isis-kerry-hofft-auf-syrische-opposition/10120038.html
28/6/14
Readout of Secretary Kerry's Meetings With Syrian Opposition Council President Ahmad Jarba, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Call With Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani (State Department)
ReplyDeleteMODERATOR: (In progress) On background from a Senior State Department Official.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Are we ready to go? Hello? Can everybody hear reasonably well at least? Okay, I’m just going to give a bit of an update on today’s meetings, and then one phone call that the Secretary did on the plane.
So the Secretary’s first meeting in Jeddah was with the President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Mr. Jarba. Jarba thanked the Secretary for the announcements today of $500 million in U.S. support for a train and equip program for the Syrian opposition. The Secretary and Jarba discussed the ongoing situation in Iraq, and particularly the threat posed by ISIL. Jarba reiterated, as he has on many previous instances, the strong opposition that the legitimate moderate opposition has to ISIL and discussed the fact they’re fighting ISIL inside Syria. He also said that in their conversations with Iraqi Sunnis, because some of their tribes spread across the border, they’re urging their Iraqi counterparts not to see common cause with ISIL.
The Secretary then saw King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. They discussed a lot of topics. It was a three-and-a-half hour meeting, a very, very positive, very warm, very substantive meeting that I’m not going to go into full details about, but I will give you some broad strokes. King Abdullah was joined by the two conferences – Salman and then the sort of Crown Prince, Muqrin. He was also joined by Foreign Minister Saud.
QUESTION: Spell those names?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Can we do it after?
He was – the translating for the – King Abdullah was Adil al-Ahmad al-Jubayr, the Saudi Ambassador to – in Washington.
They spent a large portion of the meeting discussing Iraq, and here there was a lot of common ground. The Secretary laid out our two near-term priorities in Iraq: One, working with Iraqi political leaders to bring about a transition to an inclusive government that takes into account the rights and needs of all of Iraq’s communities, as well as the major security challenge that the Iraqi Government is facing right now with the threat posed by ISIL.
I think – one of the things I’m going to be a bit reluctant to do during this readout is to characterize much of King Abdullah’s side of the conversation, but I will say that it was clear that the two shared a view that all of Iraq’s community should be participating on an urgent basis in the political process to allow it to move forward, and that each – both the Secretary and King Abdullah in their conversations with Iraqi leaders would convey that message directly to them.
The Secretary also noted for King Abdullah and also for Jarba in their discussion about Iraq that there was another statement today from Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the most prominent Shiite cleric in Iraq, calling on all Iraqi political leader on an urgent basis to attempt to complete the formation of Iraq’s new government or at least the main – designated named – in the main positions as soon as July 1st, which again is wholly consistent with what we are urging Iraqi leaders to do.
Secretary and King Abdullah also talked about ISIL. They agreed and shared a deep concern about the threat that ISIL is posing inside Iraq and inside Syria but also to the region. And I want to be a little careful with this – King Abdullah and – I realize this is going to beg questions, but I’m probably not going to answer them – did share with the Secretary some steps the kingdom is taking to address its concerns about the ISIL threat. But because of the nature of the sorts of security operations, that’s probably all I’m going to say about that.......................http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/06/228557.htm
28/6/14