Obama Meets Syrian Rebel Leader Jarba at White House

[Purveyor]

By Margaret Talev and Sangwon Yoon May 13, 2014 9:34 PM ET

U.S. President Barack Obama met for the first time with Syrian opposition leader Ahmad al-Jarba, who has been in Washington for about a week pursuing broader assistance from the American government.

The president joined a meeting today between U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Jarba, who leads the moderate Syrian Opposition Coalition, according to a White House statement. Jarba’s delegation and U.S. officials affirmed their commitment to a political solution and discussed the threat of increasing extremism in Syria, according to the statement.

“Obama welcomed the Coalition’s leadership and constructive approach to dialogue, and encouraged the Coalition to further its vision for an inclusive government,” according to the statement summarizing the White House meeting.

The discussions took place as prospects for a peaceful resolution dimmed with the resignation of Lakhdar Brahimi as United Nations special envoy in charge of mediating talks on the three-year-old civil war. The U.S. has sought a diplomatic resolution through negotiations in Geneva, which have stalled.

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-14/obama-meets-syrian-rebel-leader-jarba-at-white-house.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Give it up, Obama. The "Syrian revolution" is over.

All that supplying more weapons to rebel factions will do is ensure that more Syrians die fruitlessly. Our policy of bleeding Syria in order to try to force Assad to the negotiating table is cynical in the extreme.