US Scrambles To Salvage Syrian Opposition Talks Ahead Of Planned Kerry Meeting With Assad Foes

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, February 24, 3:09 PM

LONDON — The U.S. is frantically trying to salvage a Syrian opposition conference set for this coming week that John Kerry plans to attend during his first official overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state.

A senior Obama administration official said Sunday that Kerry has sent his top Syrian envoy to Cairo in hopes of convincing opposition leaders that the Rome conference will be critical to securing additional aid from the United States and Europe.

Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott Wednesday’s meeting.

According to the official, U.S. envoy Robert Ford will say that the conference is a chance for foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad to make their case for new and enhanced aid, and especially to America’s new chief diplomat.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kerry-embarks-on-first-official-trip-bringing-ideas-on-syria-to-europe-and-mideast/2013/02/24/9a50c312-7e5a-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Assuming this refers to next months meeting in Rome

the SNC pulled out yesterday.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Aid? They don't need no steenkin' aid! Not if they can't bother to show up

at a meeting for it.

[another_liberal]

3. I guess word leaked out . . .

I guess word leaked out that any aid coming from the United States has strings attached, and that the strings are labeled:

"Full recognition of the current Israeli government and the signing of an unconditional peace treaty with the same."

Anybody want to bet that's not the problem? Can there be any chance the Syrian opposition will ever get a dime out of our House of Representatives otherwise?

[dipsydoodle]

4. the strings are labeled....

unless they're like the tear gas canisters which are being supplied to Egypt by the US de-labeled.

See : http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022417781

[KG]

5. the FSA is winning w/o aid.

[Purveyor]

6. What have we should they indeed 'win'? eom

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Who is the FSA? The rebellion is a bunch of disjointed armed groups...

grubbing for money and weapons wherever they can find them. There are guys in the Gulf sending both, but they're mainly going to the jihadis.

There is an informative article in this week's issue of the London Review of Books. Check it out.

[DallasNE]

8. Kerry Has A Full Plate

And some of the issues are tough. No one the job training as Kerry is hitting the road running. It will be interesting to see how his style may be different from Hillary Clinton's style. She was very much hands on. This trip should answer a number of preliminary questions.