The Obama administration is moving to provide direct
assistance to the internal opposition in Syria for the first time, marking a
shift in U.S. policy toward a more aggressive plan to help oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Last week, a group of senior Obama administration
officials met to finalize a package of options for aiding both the internal and
external Syrian opposition, to include providing direct humanitarian and
communications assistance to the Syrian opposition, two administration
officials confirmed to The Cable. This
meeting of what's known as the Deputies Committee of the National Security
Council set forth a new and assertive strategy for expanding U.S. engagement
with Syrian activists and providing them with the means to organize themselves,
but stops short of providing any direct military assistance to the armed opposition.
For now, riskier options, such as creating a no-fly
zone in Syria, using U.S. military force there, or engaging directly with the
Free Syrian Army, are all still off the table. But the administration has
decided not to oppose, either in public or in private, the arming of the rebels
by other countries, the officials said.
"These moves are going to invest the U.S. in a much deeper
sense with the opposition," one administration official said. "U.S. policy is
now aligned with enabling the opposition to overthrow the Assad regime. This
codifies a significant change in our Syria policy."
The package of options will be debated by cabinet-level
officials at what's known as a Principals Committee meeting as early as this
afternoon, the two officials said. The principals could endorse the entire
package or make some changes, the officials said, although the package does
have the consensus of the interagency coming out of last week's Deputies
Committee meeting.
The administration is planning to greatly expand its
interactions with the external Syrian opposition, led by the Syrian National
Council, as well as with internal opposition bodies to include Syrian NGOs, the
Local Coordinating Councils, and the Revolutionary Councils that are
increasingly becoming the de facto representation of the Syrian opposition. The
Free Syrian Army works with these councils, but the administration is not ready
to engage the armed rebels directly out of concern that they are still somewhat
unaccountable and may have contacts with extremist elements.
As part of the new outreach, the State Department
and USAID have been tasked with devising a plan to speed humanitarian and
communications assistance to the internal Syrian civilian opposition, working
through State's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) office. There is no
concrete plan yet as to how to get the goods into Syria if the Assad regime
doesn't grant access to affected areas.
"We're leaving State and USAID to work that out.
That's the million-dollar question. We're working on that now," the official
explained.
Meanwhile, the administration wants to bolster the
new defense committee established by the SNC last week, hoping to solidify that
body's prominence as the contact point for coordinating military and technical
assistance to the rebels, if a decision is taken later to move in that
direction. The FSA has rejected the SNC's defense committee as being part of
its chain of command, but for now the Obama administration sees the SNC as a
more credible organization with which to explore options to potentially provide
military aid.
"The prevailing narrative is enabling the transition
while keeping options open for reaching out to the armed opposition," the
administration official said. "There is recognition that lethal assistance to
the opposition may be necessary, but not at this time."
At last month's initial Friends of Syria meeting in
Tunis, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said that arming the Syrian rebels
was "an excellent idea," though there are conflicting reports as to whether and
to what extent Saudi weapons and cash were already flowing into the country.
In preparation for the next Friends of Syria meeting
in Turkey later this month, the Obama administration has decided not to openly
oppose direct military assistance to the rebels as long as it comes from
another country, not the United States, one of the administration officials
said.
"The decision has been made at the next Friends of
Syria meeting to not oppose any proposals to arm the FSA and we're not going to
publicly or privately message on that," the official said. "We're not going to
publicly or privately tell the Friends of Syria not to do this."
Inside the administration, there is still a consensus
that U.S. military intervention in Syria is not wise at this time and there are
still voices expressing hope that political transition could take place in
Syria without all out civil war.
"It's more about what could be accomplished by
intervening. So many questions haven't been answered," another administration
official said, expressing the widespread internal uneasiness about involving
the U.S. military in yet another war in the Middle East. "There's a chance we
could get embroiled in a conflict. What does that do to our preparedness for
other contingencies?"
Some in the administration still hold out hope that
the Russians can
be persuaded to play a more helpful role in Syria. But
two officials confirmed that Russian arms deliveries to Syria are ongoing and
one administration official said that the latest shipment included large
amounts of advanced anti-aircraft missile systems, which are meant to help
Syria repel any attempt to establish a no-fly zone.
"What that says is that the Russians are doubling
down on Assad. They're preparing for the next step, which is the internationalization
of the conflict," one administration official said.
For the critics of Obama's Syria policy, these moves
represent a step in the right direction but still fall short of what is needed
for the United States to halt the violence.
"I am encouraged the Obama administration
is exploring steps to provide direct assistance to Syrians inside their
country, but the incremental measures reportedly under consideration still do
not come to grips with the fundamental reality in Syria, which is that Bashar
al-Assad, equipped and resupplied by Iran and Russia, is now waging an outright
war against the Syrian people, who are outmatched, outgunned, and urgently in
need of decisive international intervention," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) told The
Cable today.
Lieberman, along with Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) came out Monday
in favor of a U.S.-led intervention in Syria to begin immediately.
"To me this should begin with
medical and military assistance for the opposition, including tactical
intelligence and weapons, and ultimately should include targeted airstrikes against
Assad's bases and forces," Lieberman said. "The United States should help
organize such support for the Syrian opposition, but it should be international
and include our concerned allies in the Arab League, the GCC, NATO, and the
EU."
Lieberman, McCain, and Graham will all have a chance
to question the administration on these new moves Wednesday when the Senate
Armed Services Committee holds a hearing with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joints Chiefs Chairman
Gen. Martin Dempsey.
NSC spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment on
the administration's internal deliberations.
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