Trump Admin: Fate of Assad is upto the Syrians

[Cracket]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/326763-white-house-fate-of-assad-up-to-syrians

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that Syrian citizens should decide whether Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in office amid criticism over the Trump administration's openness to allowing the leader to stay put.

“With respect to Assad, there is a political reality that we have to accept in terms of where we are right now,” Spicer told reporters, adding that the U.S. needs to prioritize the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Spicer placed the blame on the Obama administration for a missed opportunity in ousting Assad.

“We lost a lot of opportunity in the last administration with respect to Assad,” he said.

The comments are a departure from policies of past administration concerning Assad, a key ally of Russia. The Obama administration had for years asserted, along with many European leaders, that Assad should step aside after citizens began an armed rebellion against him.

The Trump administration has faced criticism after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a trip to Turkey on Thursday that the "longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people."

"Our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out," United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley echoed in New York.
Sen. John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, slammed the proposed U.S. shift on Syria, saying he was "deeply disturbed" by comments by the Trump administration officials Thursday.

Comments were repeated by UN Ambassador Nikki Halley and Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson.

Signs of first major shift in foreign policy in a long time from U.S. No doubt Trump will face a lot of resistance from CIA/IC who are itching for a war with Russia and desperately want Assad gone. Hopefully U.S. will stop arming the "moderate" rebels in Syria and will follow it up with more cancellations of interventions in Mid-East.

 

[Yatoo]

It's really sad and funny that one can get away with killing half a million people and use all types of inhumane tactics to weaken the opposition.

 

[javiersuka]

Interesting turn around of things to come.