(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - The superpowers are searching for an easy solution to the Syrian crisis. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov envision an international summit, like the one in June 2012, which fell apart shortly after it convened. Preliminary problems, starting with the guest list, could signal the fate of the entire undertaking. Russia is demanding that Iran take part. Iran has defined Assad's survival as an Iranian national interest. Turkey demands Assad's removal from power. The U.S. insists that Assad has no role in any transitional government that may be established. Russia supports Assad's position. With such a mosaic of disagreements and conflicting interests, it's hard to find even the tiniest common denominator that could bode well for the summit.
2013-05-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive