Military pressure needed to oust Assad, Kerry says in Riyadh

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a joint press conference with Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh on March 5, 2015.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says military pressure may be necessary to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, indicating that Washington is still seeking a “regime change” in the Arab country.

“He's lost any semblance of legitimacy, but we have no higher priority than disrupting and defeating Daesh (ISIL) and other terror networks", Kerry said on Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Ultimately a combination of diplomacy and pressure will be needed to bring about a political transition. Military pressure particularly may be necessary given President Assad's reluctance to negotiate seriously," he added.

The United States and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

According to the United Nations, more than 200,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for nearly four years.

The ISIL terrorists -- some of whom were amongst militants initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government -- now control large parts of Syria and Iraq.

On February 19, Washington and Ankara inked an agreement to train and arm what they call moderate militants in Syria.

The Pentagon said it was planning to deploy hundreds of special forces to the Middle East to train “moderate” militants outside Syria in March.

The two sides say the militants will fight both the Syrian government and ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said last month that Ankara hopes the deal will also strengthen the beleaguered insurgents fighting against the government of Assad.

SB/GJH


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