"Kerry said that without a ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the civil war erupted in 2011, the violence there was in danger of spiraling out of control. The plan now being worked on to ensure a more lasting ceasefire would try to separate rival forces from militias, which are not covered by the ceasefire.

"The line they are trying to draw now would prohibit any kind of incursion of Aleppo, it will not allow Aleppo to fall," Kerry said. He added that the truce was holding in areas of Damascus and Latakia region where he said there had been a "meaningful" drop in violence.

Kerry said the United States was trying to determine which opposition group was responsible for a rocket attack on a hospital in Aleppo on Tuesday, saying there was no justification for such "horrific violence."

He repeated the United States would never accept a transition that included Assad.

"If Assad's strategy is to somehow think he's going to just carve out Aleppo and carve out a section of the country, I got news for you and for him - this war doesn't end,"" Kerry said. NY Times

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Kerry was at the White House correspondents dinner and then went to the airport to leave for this meeting in Europe. Maybe he was suffering from sleep deprivation and jet lag at the presser. How else can you account for the idiocy of the statements repeated in this NY Times article? I have written here several times that to think one can gain at the negotiating table through BS and trickery what one has not been able to secure on the battlefield is a vapid, vain notion. I continue to think that true.

The US is threatening Assad, Russia and Iran with dire consequences if Assad does not agree to abandon Syria by 1 August? What possible leverage does Kerry think the US has with which to back up that threat? "Carpet bombing" of Syrian government facilities and forces? A massive Turkish Army invasion of the North of Syria? A Gulfie invasion of Southern Syria? Poisoned cigars as a present for Assad? More and heavier weapons delivered to the Unicorn army of the FSA? (an indirect delivery to the jihadis) A US expeditionary force?

No? What then? Ah! Perhaps Kerry will persuade his consort Teresa to embargo Syria. No more Ketchup for Assad! pl

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/05/03/world/europe/03reuters-mideast-crisis-syria-kerry.html?_r=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz