Kerry seeks Syria answers in new call with Russian FM

[webfact]

Kerry seeks Syria answers in new call with Russian FM
MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry has made his third phone call to his Russian counterpart in the last 10 days, a State Department official said, seeking to clarify the intent of Moscow's military buildup in Syria, and warning that continued support for President Bashar Assad will only prolong the Syrian conflict.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry called Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the call was about Syria.

Kerry's call came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his military assistance to Assad's government and said it's impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with Damascus and urged other countries to join the cause.

Kerry will travel to London later this week for talks to include the situation in Syria with British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Kirby said.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama might reach out to Putin by phone in the coming days and would not rule out a meeting of the two leaders later this month at the United Nations General Assembly. However, administration officials made clear that Kerry was in the lead on conversations with Russia about the Syria.

Earnest said the administration's stance on Russia's moves in Syria remains the same as it was last week when Obama told U.S. troops that a strategy to prop up Assad is "doomed to failure."

"We've made clear that further support, military or otherwise, for the Assad regime is destabilizing and counter-productive, principally because Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead that country," he said. "Russia's decision to double down on Assad is a losing bet."

Earnest renewed calls for Russia to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group that controls large swaths of Syria and Iraq.

"The Russians indicate that they share that goal, and we'd like to see them work cooperatively with the rest of the international community to advance it," he said.

The Obama administration has been perplexed by Russia's ramped up support for Assad, which includes about a half-dozen battle tanks delivered in recent days. Moscow has also sent other weaponry — along with military advisers, technicians, security guards and portable housing units — with the apparent goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia, a stronghold of the Syrian president. But U.S. officials say Putin's intentions in Syria, particularly in the medium- to long-term, remain a mystery.

Earnest told reporters that "this would not be the first situation in which President Putin's motivations are rather hard to discern."

"The decision-making process in that country is rather opaque," Earnest said of Russia, adding that Moscow has long used Syria as a "client state."

"That longstanding client-state relationship might lead one to conclude that President Putin is factoring into this equation some long-term considerations," he said. "But it's not clear exactly what he believes is the best way to advance those longer-term interests that Russia may have inside of Syria."

At the Pentagon, spokesman Peter Cook said Defense Secretary Ash Carter had no plans to speak to his Russian counterpart. "Secretary Kerry is taking the lead with regard to discussions with Russia and we're going to leave it at that," he said.

Last year, former Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel made several calls to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to express concerns about Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. And Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also called his counterpart.
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Associated Press Writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-16

[Barin]

America is not happy with the current Syrian president Bashar al-Assad because he is refusing to obey orders from Washington.

America just wants to establish another government in Syria that would be loyal to America.

US have a lot of interests in this region including oil, etc.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/15/west-ignored-russian-offer-in-2012-to-have-syrias-assad-step-aside

Edited September 16, 2015 by Barin

[Credo]

The US has had few interests in Syria for many, many years. Syria has been a pain in the backside. The alliance of Russia, Syria and Iran will be an interesting one.

If Russia can bring peace to the region, then I am all for it. But, I very much doubt they can.

[ABCer]

Naturally USA has interests in Syria.

Naturally Russia has interests in Syria.

Naturally their interests are not coinciding.

I doubt Putin is going to do Obama's bidding.

I doubt Assad is going to do Obama's bidding.

I hope Obama and Putin have one dear common enemy in Syria - ISIS.

IMHO Obama is closer to Islam teachings than Putin.

Looking back at last 20 years I am not impressed by results of USA good intentions in Asia and Middle East.

As for Kerry - his achievements speak for him ... nothing.

The World is watching. Syria and ME is not exactly Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

If Putin snubs Obama there - who knows what will be next!

On the other hand - many predictions say the WWIII started in Middle East before the Bear and the Eagle embrace each other.

Edited September 16, 2015 by ABCer

[h90]

The plan to use radical Islamist to get rid of Assad is the same plan as getting rid of the socialist government in Afghanistan....

Next will be that USA delivers anti airplane rockets so the Islamists can protect themself against the Russians.....when they shoot down US airplanes everyone will pretend to be surprised again.

[Baerboxer]

America is not happy with the current Syrian president Bashar al-Assad because he is refusing to obey orders from Washington.

America just wants to establish another government in Syria that would be loyal to America.

US have a lot of interests in this region including oil, etc.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/15/west-ignored-russian-offer-in-2012-to-have-syrias-assad-step-aside

Interesting that the elected governments of Ukraine, Egypt and Syria are all opposed by the current American government who funded the downfall of the first two and fund the fight against Syria.

Now you may not like those governments, and they may have had issues, but they were the legal, democratically elected governments.

Now, America, what lecture were you giving Thailand about democracy again?

[ABCer]

Now, gentlemen, let's be reasonable.

This topic is USA, Kerry, Syria and Russia, Putin and Lavrov related. Maybe Assad. Let us not venture too far off.

Actually I start feeling sorry for the Russian President.

He has to get into some kind of relationships with very strange assortment of people. Elton John, Kerry, Hollande, Assad... wouldn't want his job for sure.

Of course there is no question of Russians solving ISIS problem in Syria and Iraq. But a small spectacular success to snub Obama would have been very useful from many angles.

Edited September 16, 2015 by ABCer

[wabothai]

US warplanes and Russian warplanes in the skies above Syria. Both with different and overlapping interests.

Am waiting for the shit to hit the fan.

[Jonmarleesco]

'"We've made clear that further support, military or otherwise, for the Assad regime is destabilizing and counter-productive, principally because Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead that country," ...' Well, as ever, the US is poking its nose into another country's affairs. Strategy of interference apart, one problem with such an approach is that it all too often results in just the destabilisation to which Earnest is referring. Result? Enter ISIS.