The Obama administration has severed bilateral talks with Russia over Syria just after Russia has ceased its plutonium disposal deal with us:
CBS NEWS – The U.S. State Department announced Monday it had suspended bilateral talks with Russia over the failed cease-fire in Syria’s five-year-old civil war, saying Moscow had “failed to live up to its own commitments.”
The cessation of talks was announced amid worsening diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow, and just after aid groups said their hospitals have been apparently directly targeted by a Russian-led bombing campaign. Activists have blamed the Russian government for 9,000 deaths in the last year.
In a statement, spokesman John Kirby said “Russia and the Syrian regime have chosen to pursue a military course, inconsistent with the Cessation of Hostilities, as demonstrated by their intensified attacks against civilian areas, targeting of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in need, including through the September 19 attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.”
The U.S. and Russia had negotiated a short-lived and largely unsuccessful cease-fire that included a military coordination deal. As part of the suspension, the U.S. is withdrawing personnel that it had dispatched to take part in the creation of a joint U.S.-Russia center. That center was to have coordinated military cooperation and intelligence if the cease-fire had taken hold. The suspension will not affect communications between the two countries aimed at de-conflicting counter-terrorism operations in Syria.
Russia suspended its plutonium disposal deal because of what they call an emerging threat to stability in the region:
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a cooperation deal with the U.S. over the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium, marking a new low in relations between the former Cold War foes.
The state-run Tass News Agency reports the agreement was suspended because of “unfriendly” acts by Washington.
Reuters reports the Kremlin said it was suspending the agreement due to “the emergence of a threat to strategic stability and as a result of unfriendly actions by the United States of America towards the Russian Federation.” The preamble to the decree suspending the agreement also said the United States was unable “to ensure the implementation of its obligations to utilize surplus
weapons-grade plutonium.”
What this really sounds like is disagreement over the core issue of Syria. Obama wants Assad gone, just as Erdogan does. But Putin sees the removal of the Assad regime as destabilizing the region.
As we’ve always said, while Assad may be a terrible dictator, he does protect the Christians in Syria and keeps stability in the region. If Assad goes down, whatever replaces him will be far worse. Look it Iraq and Libya as the best examples of what is to come in Syria if Assad is removed.