CIA: US Does not Want to See Syrian Regime Collapse
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CIA Director John Brennan said Friday the United States does not want to see a chaotic collapse of the Syrian regime as it could open the way to extremists taking power.
"I think that's a legitimate concern," Brennan said when asked if the US government feared who might succeed al-Assad.
Speaking at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, he said that "extremist elements" including the "ISIL" group and al-Qaeda veterans are "ascendant right now" in some parts of Syria.
"The last thing we want to do is allow them to march into Damascus."
"That's why it's important to bolster those forces within the Syrian opposition that are not extremists," Brennan said.
"None of us, Russia, the United States, coalition, and regional states, wants to see a collapse of the government and political institutions in Damascus," Brennan said.
Interviewed before a live audience by PBS television journalist Charlie Rose, the CIA chief also described the viral nature of the threat posed by the "ISIL" group, saying it represented a change from previous terror organizations.
"ISIL demonstrates a very worrisome development. It has been a phenomenon that has snowballed in terms of its resonance and appeal," he said, using an alternative acronym for the group.
Asked about possible coordination between Iran and the United States against the "ISIL", Brennan suggested the two arch-foes are cooperating indirectly through Iraqi partners to defeat the extremists.
"There's an alignment of some interests between ourselves and Iran" when it comes to fighting the "ISIL" militants in Iraq, he said.
"We work with closely with the Iraqi government. The Iranians work closely with the Iraqi government as well," he said.
Brennan also defended negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, saying the US government has weighed key aspects of a potential agreement with great care.
The talks between world powers and Iran have raised a political firestorm in Washington, with Republican opponents of Obama accusing his administration of preparing to make damaging concessions to Tehran.
But the CIA chief insisted there was no reckless push for a deal.
"This is not something that's being done in any haphazard way," he said.
He added he was confident that the United States and other powers taking part would insist on "minimum requirements that we are not going to reduce."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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