Kerry: High expectations for Syria deal, especially for Russia
As Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov got down to the business of crafting a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons, Kerry on Thursday acknowledged the high expectations that exist for both powerful nations.
"They're high for the United States, perhaps even higher for Russia to deliver at this moment," Kerry said from Geneva, in opening remarks ahead of the negotiations. "This is not a game."
Any deal for Syria to relinquish its stockpiles, he said, must be real, comprehensive, verifiable and implemented in a timely fashion. He added, "There ought to be consequences if it doesn't take place."
Syria has suggested that the regime ought to have the standard 30 days to submit data on its chemical weapons stockpile, but Kerry said, "We believe there is nothing standard about this process at this moment," noting that chemical weapons have already been used.
"The words of the Syrian regime, in our view, are simply not enough," he said.
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Kerry and Lavrov arrived in Geneva with large teams of arms control experts and diplomats for at least two days of very technical, intense talks over the potential deal. Ahead of the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin published an op-ed in the New York Times, criticizing the United States' willingness to use force abroad without the consent of the international community. The administration has responded by noting -- as Kerry did Thursday -- that the onus is now on Russia to follow through on its offer to convince Syria to give up its weapons.
White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday said that "both in his op-ed and in the statements and actions that we've seen from President Putin and his foreign minister, it is clear that President Putin has invested his credibility in transferring Assad's chemical weapons to international control and ultimately destroying them. This is significant. Russia is Assad's patron and protector. And the world will note whether Russia can follow through on the commitments that it's made."
Ahead of a cabinet meeting Thursday, President Obama declined to comment on Putin's op-ed but remarked, "I am hopeful that the discussions that Secretary Kerry had with Foreign Minister Lavrov, as well as some of the other players in this, can yield a concrete result. And I know that he is going to be working very hard over the next several days to see what possibilities are there."
Kerry also stressed the Obama administration's argument that "only the credible threat of force -- and the intervention of President Putin, Russia, based on that," convinced Syrian President Bashar Assad to come to the negotiating table, or even acknowledge the existence of his chemical weapons stockpile. He also said that diplomacy has always been President Obama's "first resort."
The secretary of state noted that the U.S. and Russia disagree over whether the Assad regime was responsible for the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack outside of Damascus that killed over 1,000 people, but he stressed the many points of agreement between the two world powers. Russia and the U.S. agree, he said, that the deaths on Aug. 21 were due to chemical weapons, that chemical weapons should never be used, and that Syria should give up its chemical weapons.
"Foreign Minister Lavrov and I have come to Geneva today to test these positions," he said, "on behalf of everybody who is interested in a peaceful resolution."
Lavrov said that Russia's diplomatic position was laid out in Putin's op-ed but stressed that Russia remains "firmly convinced" there should be a peaceful resolution to the current crisis and remains interested in finding "mutual consensus."
Back in Washington, other political leaders expressed their objections to Putin's op-ed, which in addition to criticizing the United States' threat of unilateral force took issue with the idea of American exceptionalism.
"I didn't agree with it, but... I think it's good he's appearing in an American newspaper," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters. "Hopefully that will allow him to do some work that hasn't been done in a long time to come up with an agreement -- help Syria do what they need to do."
Asked whether Putin was undermining Mr. Obama's ability to handle the Syria crisis, Reid said, "I don't think he's doing that. I think he's just looking for an excuse to show off his Super Bowl ring."
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he was "insulted" by the op-ed. He said he's hopeful a diplomatic solution can be found but added, "I've got real doubts about the motives of the Russians and President Assad offering this current path."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued that, even though Putin in his op-ed called for stronger international diplomacy, Russia and China have been largely responsible for weakening the U.S. by readily using their Security Council veto power.
She also objected to Putin's arguments against American exceptionalism, which Putin concluded by writing, "God created us equal."
"I think that's great," Pelosi said, "I hope it applies to gays and lesbians in Russia as well."
