Secretary of State John Kerry backtracked from America’s commitment to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power during his visit to Russia Tuesday.
Kerry was touting United States and Russian cooperation in finding a solution to end the Syrian civil war when he admitted that removing Assad is not the top priority.
"There’s actually more agreement even though our position has been that it’s impossible for me as an individual to understand how Syria could possibly be governed in the future by the man who has committed the things that we know have taken place," Kerry said after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
"But that’s not—I’m not going to decide that tonight," Kerry said. "And I’m not going to decide that in the end."
The State Department has repeatedly said Assad's "days are numbered."
President Barack Obama released a statement Tuesday that called for Assad to step down, saying that the Syrian regime needs to end its "violent war" and "step aside to allow a political transition in Syria."
Obama first called on Assad to resign in August 2011, saying that it should be done "for the sake of the Syrian people."’
Stepping back from the administration’s insistence on Assad stepping down comes as an attempt by the United States and Russia to work together on options for Syria, according to Foreign Policy:
Kerry framed his refusal to say that Assad should step down as in line with the June 2011 Geneva communiqué, which was supposed to provide a roadmap for a negotiated settlement in Syria. The communiqué, which was agreed to by both Russia and the United States, ducked the issue of Assad's future by saying that each side -- the Syrian opposition and the regime -- would be able to veto candidates for an interim government who they found unacceptable. Presumably, the opposition would veto Assad while the regime would veto radical Islamist groups like the al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra.
Washington and Moscow seem prepared to move quickly to get both sides to the negotiating table. Kerry said that Russia would try to arrange a conference as early as this month.