U.S. diplomats demand action against Assad

Dissent letter signed by mid-level diplomats expresses frustration with Obama’s policy

Dozens of U.S. State Department employees have endorsed an internal document that advocates U.S. military action to pressure Syria’s government into accepting a cease-fire and engaging in peace talks, officials said on Thursday.

The position is at odds with U.S. policy.

Obama’s reluctance

The “dissent channel cable” was signed by about 50 mostly mid-level department officials who deal with U.S. policy in Syria, according to officials who have seen the document. It expresses clear frustration with America’s inability to halt a civil war that has killed perhaps a half-million people and contributed to a worldwide refugee crisis, and goes to the heart of U.S. President Barack Obama’s reluctance to enter the fray.

Mr. Obama called for regime change early on in the conflict and threatened military strikes against Syrian forces after blaming President Bashar Assad for using chemical weapons in 2013. But he only has authorised strikes against the Islamic State and other U.S.-designated terror groups in Syria.

While Washington has provided military assistance to some anti-Assad rebels, it has favoured diplomacy over armed intervention as a means of ushering Syria’s leader out of power.

A series of partial cease-fires in recent months have only made the war slightly less deadly, and offered little hope of a peace settlement.

The dissent document was transmitted internally in a confidential form and since has been classified, said officials who weren’t authorised to discuss such material and insisted on anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times both quoted from the document on Thursday, saying they had seen or obtained copies.

The Journal said the document called for “targeted air strikes.”