 |
| President Obama with Barbara Walters (ABC News photo) |
In a diplomatic shift,
U.S. President Barack Obama said overnight his administration now formally
recognizes the newly formed Syrian
National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces that is
fighting to topple Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad.
"We've made a
decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is
reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider
them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the
Assad regime," Obama said.
The announcement, made
during an exclusive interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, grants new legitimacy to the
rebel group and marks a new phase in U.S. efforts to isolate the Assad regime.
"It's a big
step," Obama said of the decision. The United States follows France and
Britain, both of which last month recognized the Syrian opposition group.
The diplomatic
designation will allow the United States to more closely support rebel efforts,
including the organization of a future post-Assad government, administration
officials said.
"Obviously, with
that recognition comes responsibilities," Obama said of the young
coalition. "To make sure that they organize themselves effectively, that
they are representative of all the parties, [and] that they commit themselves
to a political transition that respects women's rights and minority
rights."
The move does not
include the provision of arms, but it opens the door for that possibility in
the future.
"Providing arms
has to be done in a way that helps promote a political solution," one
senior Obama administration official is quoted as saying by ABC News. "And
until we understand how these arms promote a political solution, we do not see
how provision of arms is a good idea."
But the official added,
"the president has never ruled out in the future providing arms."
Obama expressed caution
in the interview about some Syrian factions involved with the coalition,
warning that the United States will not support extremist elements.
"Not everybody who's
participating on the ground in fighting Assad are people who we are comfortable
with," Obama told Walters. "There are some who, I think, have adopted
an extremist agenda, an anti-U.S. agenda, and we are going to make clear to
distinguish between those elements."
The president
specifically singled out the group Jabhat al-Nusrah for its alleged affiliation
with al- Qaeda in Iraq. The State Department says the jihadist group is
responsible for nearly 600 violent attacks in major Syrian cities in the past year.
"Through these
attacks, al-Nusrah has sought to portray itself as part of the legitimate
Syrian opposition while it is, in fact, an attempt by [al-Qaeda in Iraq] to
hijack the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes,"
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
The Obama
administration blacklisted al-Nusrah earlier this week, imposing economic
sanctions and branding it a terrorist organization.
Recognition of the
Syrian rebel group has been expected. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was to
formally announce the new relations with the United States during a meeting of
international allies supporting Syria's rebels in Marrakech, Morocco, on
Wednesday.
She has since cancelled
her trip because of an illness. Her deputy, William Burns, will attend in her
place.
The Voice
of Russia’s Olga Denisova cites the country’s Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov as saying Washington’s move to recognize Syria’s National Coalition
proves the U.S. had made a stake on its armed victory.
"America’s recognition of the National Coalition as Syria’s
legitimate authority violates the Geneva agreement. It is an 'unexpected
turn',” he said at a meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajcák.
Lavrov stressed Russia was going to inquire into US’s aims and their
vision of the region’s future.
