State Dept Spox: Syria Is Not a Failure of ‘The Leadership of the United States’

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “At This Hour,” State Department Spokesperson Admiral John Kirby (Ret.) stated that the failure in Syria “is not on the leadership of the United States, or even other members of the international community.”

Kirby said, “[I]t’s clear that diplomatic efforts have not achieved the results that we wanted to achieve, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong approach. It doesn’t mean that through diplomacy we weren’t able to get, at times, meaningful cessations of hostilities where people could start to live normal lives, and things could at least get back to some sense of normalcy. But what — the failure here, is not on the leadership of the United States, or even other members of the international community. The failure here is on Russia, and it’s on the regime, it’s on Iran, that have, despite coming to the table and saying they want a peaceful solution in Syria and a diplomatic way forward, have in fact bolstered Assad’s brutality, have in fact reinforced his military, helped him with targeting, helped him with intelligence, put advisers on the ground that have done nothing but try to prove that what they really want is a military solution. The blood’s on their hands.”

(h/t Grabien)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett