US backs off hard line on Syrian president’s future

 The US President Barack Obama's administration entered a crucial round of international talks on Syria’s war prepared to accept a deal that leaves President Bashar al-Assad in place for several months or more during the transition to a new government, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The U.S. shift on the dictator’s future caps months of backtracking on the most significant obstacle to a resolution of the Syrian conflict, the paper said.

While U.S. officials once argued Assad couldn’t take part in a political transition, they have gradually eased that stance, eventually signaling he wouldn’t have to step down immediately.

Now they are planning to negotiate the question of his future in talks being held Friday in Vienna.

The White House hasn’t publicly set a time frame for Assad’s departure to give U.S. negotiators room to maneuver in the Vienna talks, officials said.

But in advance of negotiations, administration officials discussed a resolution with U.S. allies, including Turkey, that would allow Assad to remain in place after a cease-fire in the 4½-year conflict.

The resolution the U.S. is seeking would include a cease-fire and would “not prejudge the Assad question,” a senior administration official said.

The approach reflects new realities imposed in Syria by Russia and Iran, which have intensified military operations to bolster Assad. It also follows recent challenges faced by the American-led fight against Daesh.

Russia and Iran are taking part in Friday’s conference, along with Assad’s Arab adversaries. In all, the meeting brings together more than a dozen European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers.

The inclusion of Iran represents a change after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia blocked Tehran’s participation previously.

Russia and Iran have demanded Assad retain power. America’s Arab allies are demanding a clear timeline for when Assad would step down, U.S. and Arab officials said.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in Vienna on Thursday, intensified discussions in recent weeks with Assad’s biggest opponents, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, to try to gain their support for a diplomatic resolution that would allow the Syrian dictator to stay in power during a transition, these officials said.

The U.S. wields limited influence on the battlefield, making it critical for Washington to persuade those three countries and others to join in the effort because of the power they exercise over the rebel groups they support.

Administration officials say they don’t expect any breakthroughs in the talks on Friday but hope for an agreement on holding additional meetings.

National Security Adviser Susan Rice said this week that there is potential for an agreement on a political transition in Damascus that “begins perhaps with Assad still in power, but it doesn’t end with him in power.”

Source: MENA