ANDREA MITCHELL: You have just come on this long trip. You've met with the Syrian rebels. The Saudi foreign minister standing next to you said that the Assad regime is a vicious killing machine. Why is the United States not joining other nations around the world in arming the rebels?
SEC. JOHON KERRY: Well, Andrea, we are -- the president has put in place a policy that is extremely forward leaning, with other countries. Other countries, as you know, are arming the Syrians. The president has put in place sanctions. The president has led an effort to try to pull together the Syrian opposition, identify it, clarify it, get it unified to speak with one voice. Now the president has raised the American engagement to the level of giving directly to the Syrian opposition and the Syrian military.
MITCHELL: Non-lethal aid.
SEC. KERRY: That’s right. And others are providing lethal aid, and I think what we achieved in Rome was to raise the focus and the energy of all of these countries that came together, each of whom are contributing in different ways. We are committed together with that community, and hopefully the rest of the world, ending the violation. The president prefers, as I do and everybody does to try to have a diplomatic resolution to this and that's why he instructed me to meet with foreign minister Lavrov, and we are working to try to achieve that.
MITCHELL: Yet, at the same time more than 70,000 people are dead. Now one million refugees, which is a huge burden on our allies in the region. What would it take for you to be persuaded that the opposition leaders could keep any aid or weapons away from the Islamic extremists? You’ve said you have some confidence that they know where the aid is going, so if they can persuade you, would you reconsider?
SEC. KERRY: That's not the issue. I think -- look, the president has committed the United States of America on behalf of the good values of all Americans to be the largest humanitarian support of any country to this question of refugees, and I think America can be very proud of that. We are helping turkey. We are helping in jordan. The president is also, I think, determined to make sure that the United States does its part going forward to help to find a diplomatic resolution. We don't want this killing. President Assad could quickly decide to come to the table and negotiate.
MITCHELL: But he is not, sir, with all due respect.
SEC. KERRY: I agree.
MITCHELL: There's no sign that he is going to, and Russia and Iran, as you pointed out, continue to arm Assad, so is this stalemate going to continue? It’s already been two years.
SEC. KERRY: Obviously, Andréa, we hope not, and the president is the person who initiated this meeting in Rome through me. We had the meeting in Rome. It came about because of the president's leadership and insistence on trying to unify and send a stronger message. I think now there is a much more coordinated effort for those who are arming. That’s taking place. I think over the next weeks, we have agreed to stay in very close contact. All of these foreign ministers, all of these countries, and when I get back, I’ll report to the president precisely what I heard and, you know, I’m convinced that we will continue to press the diplomatic solution. That’s the best resolution here.
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