Posted on 12/05/2018 5:55:27 AM PST by Texas Fossil
ERBIL US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey urged other countries to share a larger burden in facilitating the conditions for peace in Syria, while floating the idea of the United Nations enforcing a no-fly zone for parts of Syria.
"Remember we were present not in northern Iraq but over northern Iraq in Operation Northern Watch for 13 years. That can be a UN force," he said on Tuesday, referring to the joint US-UK-Turkey no-fly zone in the late 1990s that protected Kurdish areas from the air force of Saddam Hussein.
Jeffrey briefed reporters in Washington, D.C., after meeting with the "small group" for Syria an informal group of European states Germany, France, and Britain and Middle Eastern states Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.
He said a "UN force" or others could play a role in such an endeavor.
"That can be a UN force. Under 2254 there is language on a UN-managed and operated ceasefire. That can be partner forces. That can be other countries forces," he said.
The US presence in Syria is without a direct UN mandate. Washington argues that its presence was necessitated to protect the sovereignty of Iraq when ISIS threatened to overrun the country in 2014.
Washington has maintained that its presence in Syria is solely to defeat ISIS, but Jeffrey indicated that if needed the presence could be through various aforementioned options.
"When we say were going to be present not forever in Syria but present until our conditions enduring defeat of ISIL, as was said earlier, the withdrawal of all Iranian-commanded forces from the entirety of Syria, and an irreversible political process," he said.
The US-led international anti-ISIS coalition has primarily been supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in clearing operations in the Hajin pocket..
(Excerpt) Read more at rudaw.net ...
I don't see a no-fly zone as relevant to the presence of Iranian forces in Syria, except that barring Assad's air capabilities from a region would help the Iranians in that region. Further, I don't see a no-fly zone affecting the form of government in Syria unless it topples or at least dramatically weakens Assad.
In general, I have no problem with intervening in another country. However, I only want that option if the intervention advances specific objectives. I'd like to weigh the positives of intervention in Syria against the negatives, but I still have not identified even one positive outcome of us enforcing a no-fly zone over part of Syria.
What real US national interest is being served by having anything to do with the Syria disaster after Isis has been crushed?
It is in the interest of our allies in the ME. Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and some others.
If Turkey is successful reinstating ISIS and the Jihadi’s with their Neo Ottoman wet dream. The West will pay dearly for allowing it.
The US today is effectively energy independent and a major crisis with oil nations in the Mid-East or any attempt at replaying the oil embargo of the mid 70s or 1978-79 will produce a unabashed energy boom for the US. Conditions are not at all as they were in 1989 when the balance of power in the Persian Gulf was a real vital national interest.
The federal government has discovered a massive new reserve of oil and natural gas in Texas and New Mexico that it says has the largest continuous oil and gas resource potential ever assessed.
Christmas came a few weeks early this year, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said of the new reserve, which is believed to have enough energy to fuel the U.S. for nearly seven years.
In all, the new reserve is said to contain 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 46.3 billion barrels of oil, and 20 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids, the Interior Departments U.S. Geological Survey said.
Almost a third of the U.S.s total crude-oil production comes from the Permian Basin where the reserve was found, making it the biggest shale-oil-producing region in the U.S.
Seems like some people really miss the “good ol’ ‘90s”...Not me!
Ummm, no.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.