June 23, 2016•Update: June 29, 2016
By Kasim Ileri
WASHINGTON
Proposals contained in a memo by 51 State Department officials who advocate military intervention to remove Bashar Assad from power, were “previously considered,” the White House said Wednesday.
“The president is determined to make sure that the United States does not make the unwise assessment that somehow we can succeed in imposing a military solution on Syria,” spokesman Josh Earnest said.
The memo promoted the use of force against the Assad regime and establishing a safe zone in northern Syria.
Earnest said President Barack Obama wants to avoid a military invasion of Syria because he does not believe it would be in the best interest of the country.
Washington has already allocated a significant amount of resources to the fight against Daesh and redirecting those assets toward the Assad regime would “not advance our broader goal,” according to Earnest.
The proposal said Assad should be weakened through military strikes that would force the government in Damascus to negotiate.
“I'm not really sure what that means,” Earnest said. “Does that just mean there's one round of missile strikes, and then we spend a month trying to negotiate again, and if nothing happens, do we launch more missile strikes? Or then, do we have to steadily ramp up the military engagement?”
Characterizing the proposal as “a slippery slope” Earnest said that striking the Assad regime “somehow stops short of a war against a sovereign nation that is being backed by Russia and Iran in a way.”
Regarding the safe zone in Syria, Earnest said that the administration had previously laid out why it was difficult to implement.
Turkey has been a vocal supporter of a safe zone in Syria for refugees but the Pentagon has resisted the idea, claiming it would be difficult to implement as Russia, Assad regime, Daesh and other militant groups such as Hezbollah might try to challenge it.
“The truth is, you don't hear a whole lot of people talking about that [safe zone] anymore,” Earnest said.
