U.S. Moves Toward Recognizing Syria’s Opposition

The New York Times ^ | November 29, 2012 | By MICHAEL R. GORDON and MARK LANDLER

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Rebels in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, in August. The opposition to the Syrian government is developing a political structure

WASHINGTON — The United States is moving toward recognizing the Syrian opposition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people as soon as it fully develops its political structure, American officials said Thursday.

A decision to recognize the group could be announced at a so-called Friends of Syria meeting that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to attend in Morocco on Dec. 12. It is the most immediate decision facing the Obama administration as it considers how to end the government of Bashar al-Assad and stop the violence that has consumed Syria.

President Obama has not signed off on the move, and the meetings to decide the issue have yet to be held. Debates within the administration concern legal issues about the implications of diplomatic recognition, how such a move might affect efforts to enlist Russian support for a political transition in Syria and, most importantly, the state of the opposition.

Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council have already recognized the opposition, which was enlarged and overhauled at a meeting in Doha, Qatar, last month at the insistence of the United States and other nations. It is formally known as the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

[SC DOC]

I hope the new leader will be Mouaz al-Khatib , who is a cousin of my best friend and colleague. He is intelligent, unifying, and is not a hard-line fundamentalist. He is a no nonsense guy who says what he means, and means what he says.

[iontheball]

Sounds like a pipe dream to me. Apparently, nobody has asked Putin. It appears this Muslim administration just can't take a hint from Benghazi?

[livius]

Thanks, couldn’t remember the name!

[Marine_Uncle]

This is all so funny in a way. How many weapons including man pads has the US already provided the Islamic rebel groups fighting in Syria.
So many things have become so transparent in recent days.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest.

[RetiredTexasVet]

The Food Stamp President takes action to recognize his fellow Sunni Muslims in Syria. See, it isn’t that difficult to tell the truth directly!

[MasterGunner01]

What is really scary: Barry and Hillary are putting America on a collision course with Russia and China who back Assad.

The ethnic breakdown is the key. Assad's Alawite and Shi'ite Muslims are 13%, 3% are Druze Muslims, Christians 10%, and Sunni Muslims 74%. Iran, a Shi'ite state is allied with Assad. Assad is an Alawite and the Shi'ites, Christians and Druze are backing him because they see the Sunnis as the major threat. Russia and China are backing Iran and Syria.

The Free Syrian Army are Sunni fundamentalists that want to make Syria into another Sharia-compliant Muslim dictatorship. If the Free Syrian Army wins this fight, count on genocide of major proportions as they slaughter the losers. Russia, China, and Iran aren't going to let this happen.

THAT reality puts the idiotic Saudi-driven foreign policy of Hillary and Barry at odds with the Russians and Chinese. Hillary and Barry are playing with World War III here, but they are too stupid to understand that.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Or is that their intent....?

[MasterGunner01]

I don’t know, but no one in DC seems to be worried! Idiots.