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Syrian Peace Talks a Tacit Admission that Assad Won't Leave Soon
(Washington Post) Anne Gearan - U.S. policy toward Syria is tacitly acknowledging that President Assad will remain in power, at least for a while. The Obama administration has narrowed its policy to two main efforts: the eradication of Syria's chemical weapons and the staging of a peace conference scheduled for this week. Both need Assad's cooperation to succeed. Many opponents of Assad understand that the upcoming peace talks in Geneva are "about recognizing that Assad remains undefeated, and that no great power is willing to dislodge him as they did Gaddafi," said Joshua M. Landis, a Syria expert and professor at the University of Oklahoma. There is little chance that the nominal goal of a transitional government to replace Assad will emerge quickly, if ever.