Syrian
rebels urge creation of no-fly zone over Syria with the help of United States.
Many of the rebels’ advocates here are urging the creation of one
or more “no-fly zones” over Syrian territory to protect the
opposition and permit it to set up a rival government on Syrian territory
that could then request additional military intervention by its Western
and Arab allies. A series of reversals for Syria’s rebels this month
has prompted its supporters here to call for much greater U.S. military
intervention in the civil war in order to give them a stronger bargaining
position in advance of any peace negotiations.
In this photo released on Sunday, May 26, 2013, by the Syrian official
news agency SANA, Syrian forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad
take their position during a clashes against Syrian rebels, in Aleppo,
Syria.
As control of key
cities in Syria seesaws between regime and rebel control, leaks suggest
that the Obama administration is considering implementing a no-fly zone
over the embattled nation.
In desperation, the regime is widely believed to have resorted to the
use of chemical weapons, challenging President Barack Obama, who had
suggested the use of such weapons would be a “red line”
and a “game changer” for the United States.
The White House has not ruled out a no-fly zone over Syria, but the
president appears more focused on “ending” the war on terror
than in re-engaging the United States around the world. But events may
force Obama’s hand. There is no returning to the status quo ante,
and it is already clear that the conflict in Syria is spilling over
into Lebanon, Iraq and Israel.
Syrian rebels battling the forces of President Bashar Assad must receive
ammunition and heavy weapons to counter the regime's tanks and aircraft
or it will be impossible for them to prevail, Sen. John McCain said
days after he quietly slipped into Syria to meet with the opposition.
Russia's Foreign Ministry says that Washington's openness to a no-fly
zone over Syria has raised doubts about the sincerity of U.S. support
for a peace conference on Syria.
The Russian Foreign Ministry responded Thursday by urging Washington
to stick to its pledge to help broker a Syria peace conference together
with Moscow. It cautioned the U.S. against a "bellicose agenda
on Syria."
The ministry added that the talk about the no-fly zone along with the
EU's decision to lift arms embargo for Syrian rebels "raised doubts
about the sincerity of some of our international and regional partners
regarding international efforts to achieve a political settlement."