The U.S. State Department has confirmed the authenticity of an internal diplomatic cable signed by about 50 officials that criticized the Obama administration’s handling of the civil war in Syria, and called for the use of targeted airstrikes against the Syrian government.
The document emerged from an internal “Dissent Channel” within the State Department that allows employees and diplomats who disagree with administration policy to voice their concerns with superiors without the fear of retaliation.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department confirmed the legitimacy of the document, but would not speak about its contents.
“We are aware of a dissent channel cable written by a group of State Department employees regarding the situation in Syria,” he said. “We are reviewing the cable now, which came up very recently,” he added.
The memo, which was obtained by The New York Times asks the Obama administration to employ a “judicious use of stand-off and air weapons” to directly engage the Syrian army and hasten an end to the civil war that has already taken the lives of nearly 500,000 people.
“The moral rationale for taking steps to end the deaths and suffering in Syria, after five years of brutal war, is evident and unquestionable,” the memo reads. “The status quo in Syria will continue to present increasingly dire, if not disastrous, humanitarian, diplomatic and terrorism-related challenges.”
Until this point, the administration’s policy in Syria has been mainly limited to aiding rebel soldiers fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State. The U.S. has not directly and openly confronted Assad and his Russian-backed forces.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday he had not seen the memo yet, but, while speaking with reporters in Copenhagen, said he would discuss it when he returns to Washington.
“I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I agree with the process. But it’s a great process. It gives people a chance to express their views. I think it’s an important statement,” he said, “and I respect the process very, very much.”
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