US goes from bandleader to bystander in Syria peace efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stung by years of failure to stop Syria’s bloodshed, the United States is now just a bystander to the civil war as President Barack Obama’s tenure ends.
Secretary of State John Kerry still is speaking sporadically with Russian, Turkish and Arab foreign ministers about cease-fire efforts, and there are occasional consultations with the opposition.
But less than two weeks before Donald Trump’s presidency begins, the Obama administration no longer is even claiming to play the leading part in the peace mediation that it spearheaded unsuccessfully for years. Formal contacts with Russia and others in Geneva, the main meeting point for the U. S.-led diplomacy, have ended.
Leadership has been ceded to Russia and, to a lesser degree, Turkey and Iran.
After helping Syria’s military oust the remaining rebels from the city of Aleppo last month, Moscow has cast itself as the would-be peacemaker. It clinched a new truce without Washington’s help and announced Friday that it was starting to draw down its forces in the region.
Russian envoys also are organizing the first talks between the Syrian government and opposition in nearly a year. The discussions are set for later in January in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“We still are at the proverbial table,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday. “We may not be at the table in Astana, we may not be at the table in Moscow, I understand that. But it’s not like we are walking away from Syria.”
He added later: “We aren’t connected to this piece of it. It’s not like we’re pulling out from the whole puzzle.”
With no indication about how the incoming Trump administration intends to proceed on Syria, U. S. diplomats are wary of engaging in any new initiatives that would require a sustained American role. As a result, the Obama administration is ambivalent about attending, even in an observer role, the proposed peace meeting. Turkey has told the U. S. its presence would be acceptable, American officials said, but Washington has yet to make a decision.
The diminution of the American role could have drawbacks.
Obama demanded almost six years ago that Syrian President Bashar Assad leave power and allow for a democratic transition. But Obama’s reticence to plunge the United States into another Mideast war meant the U. S. never had the capability to shape such an outcome. Its increasingly marginal role in recent months means it could have even less capacity to help shape Syria’s future and safeguard vital American interests, such as Israel’s security and fighting the Islamic State group.
On the other hand, Obama hands the baton to Trump without any large-scale military or diplomatic engagement in Syria. Obama never wanted to own the conflict, which has killed up to a half-million people and prompted millions to flee as refugees. On Saturday, at least 43 people were killed when a car bomb ripped through the center of a busy commercial district of a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border, activists and rescue workers said.
Obama’s reticence to intervene in the war at least means Trump will have flexibility, which Obama didn’t have in inheriting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In a farewell news conference Thursday, Kerry insisted the administration hadn’t given up on Syria and that he hoped the warring sides could get to “real negotiations” on a peace agreement.
But some officials were frustrated by the administration essentially withdrawing from the process. For example, Kerry hasn’t spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since Dec. 27. Their discussions occurred almost daily at some points last year.
Russia, which backs the Syrian government, and Turkey, a strong supporter of Syria’s moderate opposition, brokered the current shaky cease-fire, which came into effect on Dec. 30. The truce has mostly held but not altogether halted fighting; the government and opposition have blamed each other for violations.
The truce doesn’t include areas in Syria controlled by IS.
The U. S. is pressing on with its effort in that campaign, and Trump and his national security advisers have said it will be a top priority for them.
The Obama administration has an undisclosed number of special operations troops, presumably about 200 to 250, in Syria. They are advising and assisting what the Americans call the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is comprised of Syrian Kurds and Arabs. Some of the Americans are embedded with the SDF in northern Syria.
comments
Need a break? Play a quick game of solitaire or Sudoku. Or take one of our fun quizzes!
The Obamas leave the White House Jan. 20, but they won’t be going far. See photos of their new Kalorama house, inside and out.
© Source: http://wtop.com/government/2017/01/us-goes-from-bandleader-to-bystander-in-syria-peace-efforts/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.
At least 21 people have been injured in violent clashes between Sri Lankan government supporters and villagers marching against what they say is a plan to take over private land for an industrial zone in which China will have a major stake.
Thousands of people have lined up in freezing temperatures hoping to get a ticket to President Barack Obama’s farewell speech in his hometown of Chicago.
A cyber attack disrupted services for 10 hours at the main Baltic news agency in Estonia, bosses said on Saturday.
With the release of Intel’s 7th generation Kaby Lake processors and Nvidia’s mobile GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050Ti, Gigabyte has announced updates to several of its laptop lines, including to its Aorus brand. However, the biggest news was the announcement of two new laptops: the P56 and the Sabre 15. 
You might expect one of the co-founders of Oculus to say that the future of VR is going to be Oculus Rift or the recently released Oculus Touch controllers. And yet, talking to Jack McCauley, one of Oculus’s co-founders, that’s wasn’t the case. 
By
モスクワ（ＣＮＮ） ロシア軍のゲラシモフ参謀総長は７日までに、同国がシリアに展開する部隊の規模縮小を開始したと明らかにした。ロシア国営タス通信が伝えた。 ロシア軍唯一の空母「アドミラル・クズネツォフ」を中心とする艦船群が最初にシリアを離れるという。クズネツォフの艦載機も共に撤収するのか、シリア北西部ラタキアの拠点に残るのかは不明。 ロシア国営スプートニク通信によると、ショイグ国防相による先月２９日の勧告を受け、プーチン大統領がシリア駐留軍の規模縮小を決定したという。 スプートニク通信がシリア駐留ロシア軍のカルタポロフ司令官の話として伝えたところによると、クズネツォフの艦載機は１１月８日からの２カ月間で４２０回の出撃を行い、シリア国内における「１２５２のテロリストの標的」を破壊したとしている。 国連によると、シリア全土ではロシアやトルコ、シリア政府などによる協議の末に発効した停戦がおおむね維持されている。ロシアが２０１５年からシリアのアサド大統領を支援して開始した空爆は、両国がシリア内戦で優位に立ち、北部の要衝アレッポから反体制派の戦闘員を締め出すうえで決定的な役割を果たしてきた。
男衆がふんどしに似た下帯と呼ばれる衣装だけを身に着け、本堂のはりから垂れ下がった綱によじ登ることで１年の幸せと無病息災を祈る奇祭「七日堂裸まいり」が７日夜、福島県柳津町の福満虚空蔵菩薩円蔵寺であった。 
７日午後１時４０分頃、東京都目黒区目黒の都道（山手通り）で、走行中の乗用車が前方の乗用車やタクシーなど計６台に相次いで衝突し、道路脇にあるマンションの壁にぶつかって停車した。 接触された車の男女計５人が首や腰に軽傷を負った。現場に駆けつけた警視庁目黒署員が、壁に衝突した乗用車を運転していた男（３７）を自動車運転死傷行為処罰法違反（過失運転致傷）の疑いで現行犯逮捕した。 同署幹部によると、男は「覚えていない」と供述。同署が事故原因を詳しく調べている。現場は見通しの良い片側２車線の直線道路。
