UN Envoy: Obama Admin Ruined Syrian Peace Deal in 2012

UN Envoy: Obama Admin Ruined Syrian Peace Deal in 2012

Members of Kofi Annan’s 2012 diplomatic team to Syria claim President Obama had as much momentum for meaningful action in Syria during June 2012 as “[Secretary of State John] Kerry achieved a year later on chemical weapons.” 

That opportunity was “some 80,000 lives ago.”

According to the National Journal, on June 30, 2012 “then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov…signed a communique drafted by Annan, which called for a political ‘transition’ in Syria.”

After that, Annon flew to Moscow and “gained what he believed to be President Vladimir Putin’s consent to begin to quietly push Assad out.” 

Then the Obama administration–along with the British government–issued public calls for Assad to step down, and Annan saw his efforts undermined.

Annan resigned a month later, saying, “I did not receive all the support that the cause deserved.”

The Obama administration denies having done anything to undercut Annan’s efforts. However, a “current State Department official” does concede that “one of the problems with making the Annan communique work may have been Clinton’s distaste for getting involved in extended direct mediation.”

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.

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