U.S. warns of failed Syrian peace plan
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice speaks to the media after a U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria on May 30, 2012 in New York City. The Security Council held discussions following a massacre of more than 100 civilians in Houla. / Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Updated 5:09 PM ET
(CBS/AP) UNITED NATIONS - U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice says the worst and most likely scenario for Syria is that Kofi Annan's peace plan will fail, spreading conflict and creating a major crisis across the region.
Rice said Wednesday after a closed-door briefing to the U.N. Security Council by one of Annan's deputies, that Syrian government was unlikely to immediately implement the Annan plan.
In her remarks, the ambassador said that the worse case alternative is that "the violence escalates, the conflict spreads and intensifies, it reaches a higher degree of severity, it involves countries in the region, it takes on increasingly sectarian forms, and we have a major crisis not only in Syria but in the region. The Council's unity is exploded, the Annan plan is dead, and this becomes a proxy conflict with arms flowing in from all sides."
If President Bashar Assad refuses to implement the peace plan, Rice said the U.N. Security Council should assume its responsibility and put additional pressure on Syria including sanctions. But Rice and other council diplomats said there is opposition from some members.
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"I think there's no doubt that there are some who expressed great skepticism and some who said it's past time," said Rice. "So, that discussion continues, but I think it will continue not only here in New York but in capitals and in other contexts because the Syrian government has made commitments. It has blatantly violated those commitments. And I think it's quite clear, as we've said for many weeks, if they continued to do so, there should be consequences."
Rice's remarks come on the same day that the United Nations mission in Syria reported the discovery of 13 bodies with their hands tied behind their backs and evidence that some were shot at close range.
The latest sign of unchecked violence comes hours after U.N. and Arab League special envoy Annan left Damascus after calling the massacre of 108 people in Houla last Friday a tipping point in the Syrian crisis.
Annan's deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, told reporters after the U.N. Security Counci briefing that diplomats are deeply troubled by Syria's cycle of violence.
"I believe that in the council there's an understanding that any sliding toward full-scale civil war in Syria would be catastrophic, and the Security Council now needs to have that kind of strategic discussion on how that needs to be avoided," Guehenno said in Geneva after speaking to the New York-based Security Council by videoconference.
Guehenno also warned of the possibility of outside groups and terrorists taking advantage of the violence. "In any situation where there is a risk of civil war you have opportunistic actors, if one can say that, that can try to exploit that," he said.
Guehenno said he told the closed session of the 15-nation council that Annan's six-point peace plan to end the 15-month conflict must be fully implemented and that political process must include talks between the Syrian government and the opposition.
"It's very important that the Security Council be united in pushing for a political process," Guehenno said.
Annan's Deputy told the Security Council "that discussions were the only way out but that they were unlikely to happen as the uprising was now a revolutionary movement that was not going to stop," a Council diplomat told CBS News' Pamela Falk.
Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency Wednesday that "there can be no talk" about a shift in Russia's stance on Syria under foreign pressure.
Russia, along with China, has twice shielded Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime from the U.N. sanctions over his crackdown on protests. Syria is Russia's last ally in the region, providing Moscow with its only naval base outside the former Soviet Union and a top customer for Russian weapons industries.
The horrific images of the massacre in Houla, a group of villages near the battered city of Homs, have prompted the U.S. and at least a dozen other nations to expel senior Syrian diplomats.
The U.N. has accused Syrian forces of killing about 15 of the total 108 with shelling, but President Bashar Assad's regime denies opposition accusations that the rest of the dead were the victims of government-backed thugs going door to door and killing people execution-style.
Thirty-four women and 49 children, by the U.N.'s count, were stabbed or shot dead at point blank range.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration added new sanctions on a Syrian bank Wednesday as a top White House official said the U.S. wants to economically throttle the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and cut off salaries of pro-government thugs blamed for the grisly massacre in Houla.
The Treasury Department said the Syria International Islamic Bank has been acting as a front for other Syrian financial institutions seeking to circumvent sanctions. The new penalties will prohibit the SIIB from engaging in financial transactions in the U.S. and will freeze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction.
With the Obama administration unwilling at this point to pursue military options in Syria, the U.S. has relied heavily on economic sanctions as a means for pressing Assad to leave power. The United States will host other nations in Washington next week to look at ways to tighten international sanctions further.
"We are strangling the regime economically," White House deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough said.
David Cohen, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the toll taken by sanctions on Syria are "mounting day by day."
"They're drawing down their reserves without a ready means of replenishing those reserves," Cohen said.
The White House also blamed Iran for stirring up violence inside Syria and said Assad's fall would be a huge blow to Tehran. The United States is increasingly linking Syria and Iran rhetorically and tactically, applying economic pressure with and without help from the United Nations or other countries.
Iran is Syria's only staunch defender in the Middle East, and the Syria crisis has united Sunni Arab neighbors who see in Syria a way to weaken Iran, their main Shiite enemy.
"I won't speak for any other government," White House press secretary Jay Carney said in Washington. "I would simply say that it is our belief, and it's the belief that we express in these conversations, that supporting the Assad regime is placing oneself or one's nation on the wrong side of history."
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At the moment, you have the Russians and the Chinese blocking us from doing what we might not want to do anyway. Right now, I think I'm glad Putin is not a wimp. I may change my mind later. Casting the veto places Russia in the driver's seat and in the position of accepting responsibility. China can probably be pushed around. Russia probably cannot.
At the moment, Syria is getting a great deal of news coverage, but the actual casualty rate is small in comparison to say the Haiti earthquake, or Indonesian tsunami, or Chinese earthquake.
No man can serve two masters. Does the US follow rules or do as it wishes? That is the question that both presidential candidates must answer if they win. A word answer precedes the election and a deed answer follows it.
If you do not plan military action, then you need to get civilians out of harms way. More than 9000 people have been killed, this must not be allowed to go on.
Plan already have fail.
#1.) Recent history proves that the very moment any US or western soldier steps foot in any country to help - everybody the whole world over will blame the "occupiers" for everything that goes on in that country irregardless of who is doing what or who is doing the killing. From that point in time the news media has already laid the framework with the US will "own" responsibility for it all and when anything at all bad happens it's all the US's fault according to them. This is guaranteed to happen as was done in Iraq. The world press will shift 100% of the blame solely to the US even when 95%+ of the death is caused by Jihadist terrorist with road side/car bombs.
#2.) Both sides of this particular conflict in Syria will not be happy with any possible compromise that does not put their particular side in complete control. And they will both hate the US forever. Just as we learned from Yugoslavia/Serbia. Even OBL talked about our involvement in Serbia as one of the issues that turned him into hating the US.
#3.) The conflict may indeed spread civil war to other countries.. But what people are not seeing here - is the potential for this conflict to spill over into the US itself is actually also very great... because people here are getting ever more furious, ever more divided and becoming ever more frustrated with the rapidly declining situation here in the United States. Europe is no different. For the last 15-20 years it is very clear that the American gov't is more focused helping everybody else world wide 1st and it's own citizens here last. We all know now - US citizens come in last when it comes to the US gov'ts priorities with our very own tax money. We are even second class citizens in the eyes of our gov't when compared to illegal aliens. I for one will be furious if any more American lives or tax dollars are spent protecting people from other countries who deeply hate the US and are fundamentally opposed to western values.
4.) These people in Syria are not our friends. They will never appreciate any assistance or help offered and will never return the favor. The only thing that could possibly result of any interaction over there is more hate and more shifting of blame back onto the US.
5.) And you can thank the main stream media for doing this. The world-wide news seems to enjoy weakening our great nation every step of the way. Its almost like there is a hidden agenda. Hopefully those responsible who work in the news industry will think twice about what they've been doing all this time as the world watches these children die now. Thanks to your backstabbing and refusal to get the truth out about who is truly responsible for doing what - every nation on earth has learned its best not to get involved in these conflicts.
I did however talk earlier about making sure everybody in Syria both sides had ample ammunition to protect themselves. But that post which was up here for 2 hours must have offended somebody and was removed. Why can't people reply to content of the message instead of taking offense to freedom of speech.
Putting in place foreign soldiers completely change the dynamics of everything due to the 5 conditions I described out above. This is not how it should be. But so long as the media refused to reveal the truth of whos doing what this will always happen now. I want to point out that hundred years ago things were completely different in WWI... Where news agencies did all the cheerleading for their own countries irregardless of what the facts were. Now it appears to be the complete opposite. This too is bad. What is needed. Is very simple - truthful reporting... not this one-sided garbage we are getting MSM especially about the arab spring.
For all these rebels involved in the arab spring. Somebody really needs to pay attention to what they stand for and also all the terrorist atrocities committed by their factions... I'm 99.999999% sure they are not our friends, down deep they hate western values, and will never ever appreciate the help or return the favor.
Before any assistance is provided worldwide - with american taxpayer's money I think a few questions must be answered 1st.
1.) Are these people our friends? Have they always been this way - or just recently/conveniently when they want our help?
2.) Do they reflect the values you would like to encourage in the region?
3.) If roles were reversed would they return the assistance and help?
If you can't emphatically speak yes for all 3 questions then I don't involvement with our soldiers lives and treasure is the answer.
I always do agree however to bashing heads very ruthlessly and quickly if foreign groups threaten the US except I think nothing should be rebuilt with US taxpayers money when we leave.
#1.) Recent history proves that the very moment any US or western soldier steps foot in any country to help - everybody the whole world over will blame the "occupiers" for everything that goes on in that country irregardless of who is doing what or who is doing the killing. From that point in time the news media has already laid the framework with the US will "own" responsibility for it all and when anything at all bad happens it's all the US's fault according to them. This is guaranteed to happen as was done in Iraq. The world press will shift 100% of the blame solely to the US even when 95%+ of the death is caused by Jihadist terrorist with road side/car bombs.
#2.) Both sides of this particular conflict in Syria will not be happy with any possible compromise that does not put their particular side in complete control. And they will both hate the US forever. Just as we learned from Yugoslavia/Serbia. Even OBL talked about our involvement in Serbia as one of the issues that turned him into hating the US.
#3.) The conflict may indeed spread civil war to other countries.. But what people are not seeing here - is the potential for this conflict to spill over into the US itself is actually also very great... because people here are getting ever more furious, ever more divided and becoming ever more frustrated with the rapidly declining situation here in the United States. Europe is no different. For the last 15-20 years it is very clear that the American gov't is more focused helping everybody else world wide 1st and it's own citizens here last. We all know now - US citizens come in last when it comes to the US gov'ts priorities with our very own tax money. We are even second class citizens in the eyes of our gov't when compared to illegal aliens. I for one will be furious if any more American lives or tax dollars are spent protecting people from other countries who deeply hate the US and are fundamentally opposed to western values.
4.) These people in Syria are not our friends. They will never appreciate any assistance or help offered and will never return the favor. The only thing that could possibly result of any interaction over there is more hate and more shifting of blame back onto the US.
5.) And you can thank the main stream media for doing this. The world-wide news seems to enjoy weakening our great nation every step of the way. Its almost like there is a hidden agenda. Hopefully those responsible who work in the news industry will think twice about what they've been doing all this time as the world watches these children die now. Thanks to your backstabbing and refusal to get the truth out about who is truly responsible for doing what - every nation on earth has learned its best not to get involved in these conflicts.