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| More U.S. Help for Syrian Rebels Would Hinge on Pledges | More U.S. Help for Syrian Rebels Would Hinge on Pledges |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Obama has agreed to additional nonlethal aid for Syria’s rebels, according to a senior administration official, but the United States also plans to push their political leaders to be inclusive, to protect minorities and to abide by the rule of law. | |
| Secretary of State John Kerry planned to meet with opposition leaders in Istanbul on Saturday, as well as with foreign ministers from nations that are supporting them, to discuss both what the United States plans to do to help the rebels and what it expects from them. | Secretary of State John Kerry planned to meet with opposition leaders in Istanbul on Saturday, as well as with foreign ministers from nations that are supporting them, to discuss both what the United States plans to do to help the rebels and what it expects from them. |
| “It’s not a quid pro quo, but we want the opposition to do more,” said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s strategy. “Secretary Kerry will be discussing what steps we want them to take.” | “It’s not a quid pro quo, but we want the opposition to do more,” said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s strategy. “Secretary Kerry will be discussing what steps we want them to take.” |
| The meeting in Turkey of the so-called Friends of Syria group is taking place against a backdrop of worsening violence in the two-year-old civil war, dire new worries about how to care for millions of displaced Syrians, and further signs of Islamist radicalization in the insurgency as well as intransigence by President Bashar al-Assad. The special Syria envoy of the Arab League and United Nations, Lakhdar Brahimi, told the Security Council on Friday that “the situation is extremely bad” and that he thinks daily about resigning. | The meeting in Turkey of the so-called Friends of Syria group is taking place against a backdrop of worsening violence in the two-year-old civil war, dire new worries about how to care for millions of displaced Syrians, and further signs of Islamist radicalization in the insurgency as well as intransigence by President Bashar al-Assad. The special Syria envoy of the Arab League and United Nations, Lakhdar Brahimi, told the Security Council on Friday that “the situation is extremely bad” and that he thinks daily about resigning. |
| The American package, officials said, could include protective military gear like body armor and night-vision goggles, as well as communications equipment — but not weapons. It comes on top of food rations and medicine announced by Mr. Kerry last February. “The administration will work with opposition leaders to determine their needs,” a senior State Department official said. The package could be double the $60 million in nonlethal aid already committed, another official said. But Mr. Kerry’s expected announcement, officials said, may not come until after the United States secures a commitment from the Syrian opposition and its supporters that any government that replaces Mr. Assad’s would be inclusive, would protect the rights of his Alawite minority and other sects, and would abide by the rule of law. | |
| Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Mr. Kerry said his goal was “to get everybody on the same page with respect to what post-Assad might look like — commitment to diversity, pluralism, democracy, inclusivity, protection of minority rights.” | Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Mr. Kerry said his goal was “to get everybody on the same page with respect to what post-Assad might look like — commitment to diversity, pluralism, democracy, inclusivity, protection of minority rights.” |
| In addition, Mr. Kerry said, the United States wanted the opposition to be “open to the negotiating process to a political settlement” and to “abide by rules with respect to conduct in warfare.” | In addition, Mr. Kerry said, the United States wanted the opposition to be “open to the negotiating process to a political settlement” and to “abide by rules with respect to conduct in warfare.” |
| While the United States and European nations have insisted on democratic principles, American officials have been concerned that some of the opposition’s financial backers in Persian Gulf states have been less particular about the rebel factions they aid. | While the United States and European nations have insisted on democratic principles, American officials have been concerned that some of the opposition’s financial backers in Persian Gulf states have been less particular about the rebel factions they aid. |
| Among those that Mr. Kerry said he wanted to put “on the same page” are the “Qataris, Saudis, Emirates, Turks,” as well as the Europeans. Nurturing a unified, moderate opposition has been complicated by regional rivalries, with countries pushing their own favorites. | Among those that Mr. Kerry said he wanted to put “on the same page” are the “Qataris, Saudis, Emirates, Turks,” as well as the Europeans. Nurturing a unified, moderate opposition has been complicated by regional rivalries, with countries pushing their own favorites. |
| Not everyone in the Obama administration has necessarily been on the same page on policy toward the Syrian resistance. And State Department officials hope that the Istanbul meeting will enable the American side to close ranks as well. | Not everyone in the Obama administration has necessarily been on the same page on policy toward the Syrian resistance. And State Department officials hope that the Istanbul meeting will enable the American side to close ranks as well. |
| In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced concern about the growing role of extremists among the anti-Assad fighters in Syria, and said identifying moderate members of the Syrian resistance had become more difficult. | In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced concern about the growing role of extremists among the anti-Assad fighters in Syria, and said identifying moderate members of the Syrian resistance had become more difficult. |
| “It’s actually more confusing on the opposition side today than it was six months ago,” General Dempsey said. | “It’s actually more confusing on the opposition side today than it was six months ago,” General Dempsey said. |
| During his Senate testimony on Thursday, Mr. Kerry, when asked about General Dempsey’s comments, said one purpose of the Istanbul meeting was to identify and reinforce the moderate opposition. | During his Senate testimony on Thursday, Mr. Kerry, when asked about General Dempsey’s comments, said one purpose of the Istanbul meeting was to identify and reinforce the moderate opposition. |
| The United States also wants the opposition to reaffirm that it is prepared to negotiate with representatives of the Assad government on a political transition. Sheik Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the opposition, has agreed to begin such talks if they can be arranged, but other elements of the opposition have resisted the idea. | The United States also wants the opposition to reaffirm that it is prepared to negotiate with representatives of the Assad government on a political transition. Sheik Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the opposition, has agreed to begin such talks if they can be arranged, but other elements of the opposition have resisted the idea. |
| The stepped-up American aid comes as Britain and France prepare to increase their own support, with the looming expiration of a European Union embargo on sending arms to Syria. Britain is already supplying robust nonlethal aid, like body armor. | |
| “We need to provide more help and support to the Syrian national opposition,” said Alistair Burt, the British under secretary of state for foreign affairs, who cautioned that the lifting of the embargo did not mean that Britain would supply weapons. | “We need to provide more help and support to the Syrian national opposition,” said Alistair Burt, the British under secretary of state for foreign affairs, who cautioned that the lifting of the embargo did not mean that Britain would supply weapons. |
| Though Britain has been more forward-leaning than the United States in aiding the rebels, Mr. Burt declined to fault the Obama administration for its reluctance to provide arms. | Though Britain has been more forward-leaning than the United States in aiding the rebels, Mr. Burt declined to fault the Obama administration for its reluctance to provide arms. |
| “Of course, there’s a degree of caution here,” Mr. Burt said in an interview in Washington on Monday. “A decision on whether to arm or not to arm will have consequences.” | “Of course, there’s a degree of caution here,” Mr. Burt said in an interview in Washington on Monday. “A decision on whether to arm or not to arm will have consequences.” |
| In Syria, the daily litany of civil war violence was punctuated by news of the assassination of the government’s chief coordinator of emergency aid distribution to civilians. Anti-Assad activists said gunmen with silencer-equipped weapons killed the official, Ali Balan, Thursday at a restaurant in the upscale Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, which is heavily guarded. The official news agency, Sana, called the killing the work of terrorists, the government’s generic description for armed opponents. | |
| Numerous clashes were reported by activist groups on Friday in the Damascus suburbs, the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, northern Idlib Province and elsewhere. In the Damascus suburbs alone, the Local Coordination Committees, an anti-Assad group, said indiscriminate shelling by government forces may have killed up to 100 people. There was no way to corroborate that assertion. | Numerous clashes were reported by activist groups on Friday in the Damascus suburbs, the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, northern Idlib Province and elsewhere. In the Damascus suburbs alone, the Local Coordination Committees, an anti-Assad group, said indiscriminate shelling by government forces may have killed up to 100 people. There was no way to corroborate that assertion. |
| At the United Nations, Mr. Brahimi, a veteran diplomatic troubleshooter who took the Syrian peace envoy job six months ago, gave no indication that Security Council members were ready to get past their paralysis over the Syria issue. But he told reporters the council “is very much now aware it’s a serious problem — in fact the most serious crisis.” | At the United Nations, Mr. Brahimi, a veteran diplomatic troubleshooter who took the Syrian peace envoy job six months ago, gave no indication that Security Council members were ready to get past their paralysis over the Syria issue. But he told reporters the council “is very much now aware it’s a serious problem — in fact the most serious crisis.” |
| Mr. Brahimi also dismissed the recurrent speculation, primarily in the Arab news media, that he was resigning, as his predecessor, Kofi Annan, had. But Mr. Brahimi did not hide his frustrations, saying: ”Every day I wake up I think I should resign, but I haven’t so far. One day perhaps I will.” | |
Reporting was contributed by Alan Cowell from London; Hwaida Saad and Anne Barnard from Beirut, Lebanon; and Rick Gladstone from New York. | Reporting was contributed by Alan Cowell from London; Hwaida Saad and Anne Barnard from Beirut, Lebanon; and Rick Gladstone from New York. |