US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) with a US-backed Syrian opposition figure Moaz al-Khatib (file photo)
In a bullying gesture further hinting a direct US interference in Syrian domestic affairs, top American diplomat has demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down as part of any political solution to the nation’s foreign-sponsored crisis.
US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted in Rome on Thursday that President Assad cannot be part of a transitional government in the continuing efforts by a US-led coalition of governments to find a political solution to the Syrian unrest, AFP reported.
Speaking just before a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, Kerry claimed that all sides were working to “effect a transition government by mutual consent of both sides, which clearly means that in our judgment President Assad will not be a component of that transitional government.”
Kerry’s intrusive remarks came just days after his discussions with top Russian officials in Moscow as part of an intensifying campaign by Washington to stage a potential overthrow of the Syrian government, a major regional foe of its Israeli ally.
This is while Russian officials have reportedly reiterated their opposition to the growing effort by the US and its European and regional allies to further intervene in Syria’s internal affairs with the stated objective of removing President Assad from power.
Kerry also claimed that he had spoken with most of the foreign ministers from American allies involved in the anti-Damascus bid and that there is a “very positive response and a very strong desire to move to this conference and to try to find, at least exhaust the possibilities of finding, a political way forward.”
The development comes just days after Washington’s prime ally in the region, the Tel Aviv regime, attacked Syria twice in an act of aggression condemned by the UN and numerous other countries.
The Israeli attack was widely viewed as a move on behalf of foreign-backed insurgents in Syria to weaken the government and potentially pave the way for advancements by the rebels that include al-Qaeda-linked terrorist elements.
Kerry further announced that US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford had also met with Syrian opposition figures in Istanbul on Wednesday to “discuss the way forward,” the report added.
He also officially unveiled USD100 million (76 million euros) in additional US aid for “Syrian refugees,” almost half of which will go to help Jordan, which is struggling to cope with a
This article originally appeared on : Press TV