The Washington Free Beacon’s Ellison Barber interviewed national security expert Stephen Yates Monday on the upcoming Syrian peace talks and the United Nations’ withdrawal of Iran’s invitation to participate in the conference.
Yates, a former Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs under Vice President Cheney, said, "UN Secretary General Ban [Ki-Moon] has always wanted Iran to participate in this process, and I think he misread the U.S. position on negotiations with Iran, sensing there was more progress than the administration was willing to admit to."
"The U.S. has not been clear about what its ultimate objectives are in this and what it’s willing to do about it," Yates continued, saying, "damage has been done" to the talks because of the United States' mixed signals.
