US says political solution to Syria conflict in jeopardy

The use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces and the involvement of Hezbollah fighters show President Bashar al-Assad's lack of commitment to negotiations and threaten to "put a political settlement out of reach," the U.S. State Department said on Saturday, citing comments by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The State Department issued a statement after Kerry spoke with Iraq's foreign minister.
   
"The secretary reaffirmed that the United States continues to work aggressively for a political solution with the goal of a second Geneva meeting, but that the use of chemical weapons and increasing involvement of Hezbollah demonstrates the regime's lack of commitment to negotiations and threatens to put a political settlement out of reach," the department said.

Meanwhile, Seventy-one officers, including six generals, have defected from the Syrian army to Turkey, a Turkish official said, the biggest single mass desertion of senior soldiers from President Bashar al-Assad's security forces in months.
   
It was not immediately clear why the group had deserted.

Just hours ago, the United States said it would arm Syrian rebels, having obtained proof that Assad's forces used chemical weapons against fighters trying to end the president's rule.
 
On another note, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any attempt to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria using F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles from Jordan would violate international law.    

"There have been leaks from Western media regarding the serious consideration to create a no-fly zone over Syria through the deployment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and F-16 jets in Jordan," said Lavrov, speaking at a joint news conference with his Italian counterpart.    

"You don't have to be a great expert to understand that this will violate international law," he said.                 

Earlier, US President Barack Obama held talks with European leaders about ending the war in Syria and promoting democracy in Libya, two issues topping the agenda for next week’s Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland.            

According to a statement from Cameron’s office, the participants in the hour-long videoconference call were UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.              

The statement added that the leaders discussed the means which will be adopted by the G-8 countries in order to reach a political solution in Syria, where the UN estimates that more than 93,000 people have been killed in a two-year civil war between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and opposition forces.                

The US, UK and France are among G-8 members that have said Assad’s departure is essential to any political transition. Russia, another G-8 member, is a long-time ally of the Assad regime and one of the Syrian government’s top arms suppliers.


REUTERS/LBCI