Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and US President Barack Obama.
Natasha Bertrand, Business Standard: The Obama administration just 'made a scary retreat' in its Syria policy, and negotiations are quickly unraveling
In a meeting with members of Syria's opposition in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that rebels accept a set of preconditions dictated by Russia and Iran in order to participate in peace talks, according to an explosive report by the daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.
The terms Kerry reportedly asked the opposition Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee (HNC) to accept — including a "national unity government" instead of a transitional governing body that would phase Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power — represent "a scary retreat in the US position," opposition sources told the head of Al Hayat's Damascus bureau, Ibrahim Hamidi.
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WNU Editor: When it comes to Syria .... there have been so many U.S. red lines crossed that even I have lost count. U.S. credibility has clearly taken a hit in the eyes of their long-term allies in the region, and with this retreat it will only fuel this perception.