As news making headlines about the Syrian rebels executing captured soldiers in a brutal manner, speculation started to stir. Is it then a US policy for the Syrian rebels to win the war?
In an interview with Chris Hayes of MSNBC, US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed the issue by saying that U.S. policy is that it aims for Assad to leave office through the Geneva communique process that has already been agreed on, which the Russians have signed up to.
“Whereby there is a transition government put in place with the mutual consent of the opposing parties.” – Secretary Kerry
It means the Assad regime has to agree, and the opposition has to agree, he added.
In addition, Secretary Kerry explained that is the negotiation that Russia and the United States have joined in mutually supporting to take place in Geneva.
However, he points out that one can’t get there while Assad is in this state of belief that he is able to gas and massacre the people of Syria into defeat.
“He will not negotiate.” – Secretary Kerry
US wants to impose the international norm
According to Secretary Kerry, it’s not that the calculation of what the President has proposed in the military strike he is seeking to get authorization for.
What the US wants is specifically to enforce the international norm, almost a century old now, that came out of World War I, out of the horrors of World War I, whereby 189 nations have signed an agreement that we will not use chemical weapons in warfare.
He underlined that Bashar al-Assad joins with Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein as being somebody who has crossed that line.
“We are trying to enforce the international norm against that behavior, and that’s all that this military strike seeks to do.” – Secretary Kerry
Large-Scale Attack With Chemical Weapons
As part of the United States’ ongoing consultations with international partners, allies, and the broader international community, the U.S. Mission hosted a series of briefings for Member States regarding the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime on August 21st.
The US has presented an assessment regarding the events of August 21 in the suburbs of Damascus, which Secretary Kerry says overwhelmingly points to one stark conclusion: The Assad regime perpetrated a large-scale and indiscriminate attack against its own people using chemical weapons.
Is Syrian Regime Using Chemical Weapons?
In May, reports made headlines that there is growing evidence that Syrian government troops used chemical weapons.
The White House said that Syria had used the nerve agent sarin on “a small scale.”
However, Syrian officials slammed the allegations, saying the accusations are “lies.”
President Obama also indicated that if proven the Syrian government is using chemical weapons, it would be a “red line” for possible international intervention.
However, amid numerous accusations, there is no confirmation yet that chemical weapons have been used during Syria’s two-year-old conflict during that time an investigation was launched.
See Also: Video of A War Crime In Progress
