WASHINGTON
Senior Obama administration officials have denied media reports Monday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry no longer backs the administration’s Syria policy.
“The stories you're referring to actually appear to be a reflection of what Senators (John) McCain and (Lindsey) Graham think of our Syria policy, not what Secretary Kerry thinks,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, speaking to reporters at the White House.
The Daily Beast, Washington Post and Bloomberg View reported Monday that Kerry told a group of 15 U.S. congressmen that he no longer has faith in the administration’s Syria policy during an off-the-record meeting, according to McCain and Graham who were present during proceedings.
Both McCain and Graham are long-running supporters of armed intervention in Syria. Graham is quoted by the Daily Beast as saying that Kerry is supportive of arming the opposition, a charge denied by the White House.
“It's no secret that some members of Congress support arming the rebels. But at no point during Secretary Kerry's meeting in Munich with members did he raise lethal assistance for the opposition,” said Carney.
US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki, who was present at the meeting, said that Kerry did note that the administration continues to seek additional steps in Syria, but that is not a departure from current policy.
“He did say, as I said, that of course we need to continue to consider what more we can do. But that is not a change in strategy. That is an acknowledgement of what we all know: that there are ongoing discussions within the administration, that we continue to work with our international partners and through interagency process on how to approach each step in this,” said Psaki.
Even as the Obama administration seeks its next steps in Syria, the White House said that the opposition meeting with the Syrian government during Geneva II was “significant,” and that it is committed to a political solution.
“Our commitment to the process is unwavering," Carney added. "To state that the situation in Syria continues to be serious and dire is to reinforce the need for a negotiated political settlement.”
englishnews@aa.com.tr
