US Weighing Options on Syria with Peace Talks at a Standstill
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iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Syrian peace talks have hit an impasse with no guarantee of continuing in Geneva, but the Obama Administration is preaching patience.
“This takes time. And for us, the best solution out of this is a diplomatic solution. There’s no military solution here,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said Friday, adding that “there are no easy options” or “easy answers,” regarding talks with Syria.
Other U.S. officials, however appear to be losing their patience, as an American warship is waiting off the coast of Spain to pick up and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. They are holding off until Syria has turned over its entire arsenal, but the clock is ticking, according to Pentagon spokesperson Admiral John Kirby.
“Secretary Hagel’s very clear and the U.S. government writ large has been very clear that it’s time for Syria to meet their obligations. Obligation that they agreed to and that they are not meeting right now,” said Kirby.
In the meantime, Kirby indicated the Obama Administration may be looking into more options for Syria. Making clear that he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, Kirby confirmed there is “interest in exploring other options through interagency process,” though those discussions have not yet started. Kirby added that he didn’t want to speculate about the specifics of any options that might come from the Pentagon at this time.
When asked specifically if military options might be considered, he referred again to “interagency options” that are in “broad brush” form “not from just a specific agency.”
“I think the interest is in a broad range of options, and I would expect that those options would be across the spectrum of national power, not simply military,” he said.
“In terms of military options to the president, they remain available,” Kirby reminded reporters.
During his visit to Beijing, Sec. John Kerry quoted President Obama as saying “it is clear that the crisis of Syria is growing, not diminishing.”
Kerry said the President has asked “all of us to think about various options that may or may not exist. And when these options are right, and when the President calls for it, there will undoubtedly be some discussion about them.”
“The situation demands that the civilized world stand up and fight for those people who are the victims day to day of violence that comes from barrel bombs dropped from helicopters and from Scud missiles fired on innocent civilians and starvation and siege that is being laid to over 200,000, 250,000 people trapped in places where they can’t get food,” Kerry said. “This is grotesque. And the world needs to take note and figure out what the appropriate response is.”
Earlier this week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which sides with the rebels, claimed refugees are flooding into Lebanon to escape the record levels of killing and violence. It’s estimated that up to 130,000 people have died since President Bashar al-Assad’s military began cracking down on opposition groups in March 2011.
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