US Divided on Syria, Panetta: No Military Action without UN
US War Secretary Leon Panetta viewed "Washington should not take military action in Syria without authorization by the United Nations."
"This is an intolerable situation. We cannot be satisfied with what's going on, and the international community has got to take further steps to make sure that Assad steps down," Panetta said, noting that Russia should increase its effort to ease the crisis.
Asked whether there was a scenario in which the US could act militarily without UN approval, Panetta said, "No, I cannot envision that."
"The Pentagon is doing contingency planning for military action in Syria," Panetta said, and left the door open to possible military intervention in the future. But he stuck by the administration's position that it would do so only with broad international support.
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Ultimately, the international community and the president of the United States are going to have to decide what steps we take," he told reporters aboard his plane.
Panetta's position seemed at odds with that of another senior US official who claimed that the diplomatic channel has reached an impasse.
Earlier in the day, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, warned of possible US military intervention if Russia refuses to drop its opposition to tough sanctions against Damascus.
"I think we may be beginning to see the wheels coming off of this bus," Rice said.
Rice spoke of three possible scenarios: "Syria could implement a UN-brokered peace deal, the Security Council could ratchet up the pressure on Damascus or, failing that, outside powers could be forced to launch a military action."
The differing statements reflect the struggle within the Obama administration to come up with a viable plan regarding Syria.
Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, recently called for the US to arm Syrian rebels.
Asked to comment on the apparent discrepancy between statements by Rice and Panetta, George Little, the Pentagon spokesman, said the two officials were not at odds.
"At this time, we're not contemplating unilateral military action, and the focus continues to be on diplomatic and economic action," he said.
Source : News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org
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