Posted on 02/24/2016 10:12:42 AM PST by Trumpinator
John Kerry says partition of Syria could be part of ‘plan B’ if peace talks fail
US secretary of state tells committee it ‘may be too late’ to keep Syria whole and suggests Washington would support partition if ceasefire is unsuccessful
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Tuesday 23 February 2016 13.39 EST
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has said he will move towards a plan B that could involve a partition of Syria if a planned ceasefire due to start in the next few days does not materialise, or if a genuine shift to a transitional government does not take place in the coming months.
“It may be too late to keep it as a whole Syria if we wait much longer,†he told the US Senate foreign relations committee on Tuesday.
Kerry did not advocate partition as a solution and refused to specify details of a plan B, such as increased military involvement, beyond insisting it would be wrong to assume that Barack Obama would not countenance further action.
He also admitted it was possible Russian-backed forces could capture Aleppo, but pointed out that it has been very hard to retain territory in the five-year civil war.
Kerry said he will be meeting with Russia and other world powers in Geneva in the next few days to discuss the modalities of the ceasefire that was agreed on Monday and is due to come into force on Saturday.
Both the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad and Syrian opposition body the High Negotiating Council have said they will conditionally abide by the ceasefire, including the identification of territories and groups that would be included in the ceasefire.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
What does this even mean? An independent Kurdistan out of Syria? How will the Turks accept that?
Islamic State becomes a country?
Break up into Assad's secular Syria and a Sunni Islamic Brotherhood Syria?
And if Syria is allowed to be partitioned why not eastern Ukraine from Western Ukraine?
Who is Kerry to say how a country will look like?? Or how it will be divided?? How about letting the south break away from the north?
These arrogant jerks.
The whole idea is ludicrious,just like Kerry.He doesn’t understand that Putin is in there to win.
Give 'em a few more weeks.
LOL! Take Yusuf Islam with you instead of James Taylor in this area, John.
You could do a duet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLG91tOLPdQ
JF’nMoron
1) He’ll need Russia’s permission to do anything.
2) Turkey will never allow any type of Kurdish state, no matter how small, because it would result in a civil war in Turkey (as the Turkish Kurds would inevitably try to break away and join the Kurdish state).
Let me guess — the ISIS portion will be the first to be recognized.
Kerry is just talking to pretend he matters.
He has ZERO influence in Syria. Saudi Arabia and Turkey (and Obama) have shot their load by by supporting proxy-war by various Islamists (including ISIS) to depose Assad and give their own henchmen control.
Russia raised the stakes, and called everyone’s bluff, and unless Obama and Erdogan want to launch a real war against Russia and Assad (they won’t), the game is over.
Kerry is forgetting that his and Obama’s side just surrendered
In recent memory, Kissinger is the only SOS (IMO) who had so much on his plate that made the interminable travel necessary. This globe trotting by Clinton and Kerry is just that - no accomplishments but they sure have stacked up the air miles. And the “necessary” bit is certainly open to question.
Plan B is whatever Putin says Plan B is.
Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement
(wow,all the way back to Lawrence of Arabia...)
There are times when partition is okay (including perhaps for America), but a partition of Syria would be a disaster. ISIS and other terrorists would control at least one section, even if it was meant to be an authoritarian Syria and a democratic “Kurdistan”.
A wall? It’s can’t be done! Right, Geologist Joe?
John Kerry Befuddled!
I am sure if they really, really want to build a wall in Syria, and if they behead enough engineers and bend the rest over and use 'em like goats, they will manage to get the job done sooner or later.
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