Putin Sees a Chance for Assad to Stay in Power in Syria
Bolstered by its military campaign in Syria, Russia is moving closer to securing a chance for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to extend his rule in elections in 2017 as the U.S. steps up efforts to end almost five years of civil war.
Opposition in Washington is weakening to Russia’s insistence that Assad be allowed to compete in a presidential election after an 18-month transition period that starts next month, according to Russian and Western officials. For its part, Russia has agreed that the millions of Syrians who’ve fled their country can take part in the vote and is showing increasing flexibility on which Islamist rebel groups can join peace talks.
President Vladimir Putin told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting in Moscow on Dec. 14 that Assad can’t be barred as a presidential candidate and he would win if he runs, two people familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters. While Kerry didn’t agree, the U.S. is already pushing to set the terms of the 2017 ballot in ways that would reduce Assad’s chances of victory -- contradicting the Obama administration’s repeated calls for the Syrian leader to leave office.
The U.S. position remains that “Assad must go” because he’s lost the moral credibility to govern his country, said State Department spokesman Eddie Vasquez, when asked if the Obama administration could envisage the Syrian leader competing in an election. “That said, we’re under no illusions about the obstacles that exist. The decisions for how that takes place must be decided in the context of political negotiations.”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/putin-sees-assad-chance-to-stay-as-u-s-pursues-syria-settlement
Putin's Syria Campaign Paying Off
Despite President Obama’s early warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin would regret choosing to intervene in Syria, analysts and US officials agree that so far, Putin has achieved his objectives at little cost.
VIDEO AT LINK: http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/12/29/putins-syria-campaign-paying-off?videoId=366831543