US Secretary Of State John Kerry said Monday he will meet with leaders from Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to discuss the current crisis in Syria
US Secretary Of State John Kerry said Monday he will meet with leaders from Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to discuss "real and tangible options" for a political solution to the Syria crisis.
He said there was no realistic military solution to the conflict and that "propping up [President Bashar] Assad will ultimately fail and also unfortunately lead to more bloodshed, more refugees, more extremism and more jihadis."
He told reporters in Spain, where he was on an official visit, that he would travel to the Middle East "in a few days" for more talks on Syria — but did not elaborate on what options were being discussed.
"I will be coming back in a few days and will meet with leaders from Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to work through real and tangible options that could perhaps reignite a political process and bring about a political transition in Syria," he said.
"Everyone, including Russia and Iran, has said there is no military solution. This is a human catastrophe that not only threatens the integrity of whole country but also of countries around the region," he added.
Meanwhile, Washington considers that it bears the responsibility "to try and avoid the complete and total destruction of Syria", fearing the potential fallout across the region and a possible surge in migration, Kerry said on a stop in Madrid.
"We have a moral interest to try and stop this unfolding catastrophe," he said.
"The threat of many more (refugees) coming if the violence continues and Syria absolutely implodes is real."
Kerry also said he feared the consequences of Russia's air strikes in Syria.
Meanwhile, he called for an end to the wave of deadly violence in the Palestinian occupied territories, but said "Israel has every right in the world to protect itself".
"We want to see calm restored and we want to see violence stop," Kerry said in Madrid.
He confirmed he would meet in the coming days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.
