Kerry Says Syria Not the Same as Libya
Published at
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images(KUWAIT CITY) — With nations still slow to arm Syrian rebels, Secretary of State John Kerry attempted to explain Wednesday why the response by the U.S. and it allies has been more measured than what happened in Libya two years ago when a no-fly zone was established.
Speaking in Kuwait City, Kerry told reporters, “This is not Libya. It is very different in many, many ways.”
Two years ago, opposition forces were battling the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, who ultimately met his end at the hands of rebels seeking a more democratic Libya.
However, Kerry pointed out that there were no foreign countries intervening on the side of Gadhafi as opposed to Syria where President Bashar al-Assad is getting heavy artillery from Russia and Iran while Lebanon has deployed thousands of Hezbollah fighters to prop up the Syrian government.
Asserting that there is no military solution to the conflict, Kerry warned that widening the war might lead to both the destruction of the Syrian state and military and lead to decades of sectarian warfare between Sunni Muslims and Shiites.
Should that happen, Kerry claimed “it will empower extremists…and the potential increase of terrorism.”
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio