„At another point, Mr. Kerry spelled out in stark terms distinctions the United States was making between combatants, which have upset the Syrian opposition: The United States wants the rebels to help it fight the Islamic State and Al Qaeda because, as he put it, “both have basically declared war on us.” But Washington will not join the same rebels in fighting Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia allied with Mr. Assad, even though the United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group like the others. ‚Hezbollah,‘ Mr. Kerry explained, ‚is not plotting against us.‘ (…)
One of the Syrians in the room assured Mr. Kerry, ‚No one is requesting an invasion,‘ but he insisted that the rebels needed more help. As time ran short, Mr. Kerry told the Syrians that their best hope was a political solution to bring the opposition into a transitional government. Then, he said, ‚you can have an election and let the people of Syria decide: Who do they want?‘ A State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said later that Mr. Kerry was not indicating a shift in the administration’s view of Mr. Assad, only reiterating a longstanding belief that he would be ousted in any fair election. At one point, Mr. Kerry astonished the Syrians at the table when he suggested that they should participate in elections that include President Bashar al-Assad, five years after President Obama demanded that he step down.“
(Anne Barnard: „Audio Reveals What John Kerry Told Syrians Behind Closed Doors“)
