Obama Administration Threatens to Suspend Talks With Russia on Syria, Considers Weaponry for Syrian Rebels - Wall Street Journal

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A wounded Syrian man is rushed into a hospital on Wednesday after he was hit by mortar shells that targeted a government-controlled neighborhood in Aleppo.


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Adam Entous and

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Felicia Schwartz

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• felicia.schwartz@wsj.com

Updated Sept. 28, 2016 5:53 p.m. ET

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WASHINGTON—The Obama administration threatened Wednesday to pull out of talks with Russia over a collapsed ceasefire deal in Syria and has renewed an internal debate over whether to give rebels more firepower to fend off a stepped-up Russian and Syrian assault on their Aleppo stronghold, officials said.

The White House put the weaponry debate on hold earlier this year to give Secretary of State John Kerry an opportunity to try to negotiate a ceasefire with his Russian counterpart. Mr. Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Wednesday​that the U.S. was preparing to suspend its engagement with Moscow on Syria if Russia didn’t take “immediate steps” to halt an offensive on Aleppo.

The renewed debate, according to U.S. officials, centers on whether to authorize the Central Intelligence Agency and its partners in the region to deliver weapons systems that would enable vetted rebel units to strike Syrian and Russian artillery positions from longer distances.

The Obama administration has ruled out providing so-called man-portable air-defense systems, known as Manpads, to the rebels but officials said they are considering providing them with anti-aircraft systems that would pose less of a proliferation risk.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the Obama administration was discussing options to address the conflict “that are outside diplomacy,” but declined to provide specifics.

Related

• Bombs Hit, Overwhelm Aleppo Hospitals
• Syrian Regime Presses Aleppo Offensive
• Pope Francis Condemns Bombings of Aleppo

(More to come.)

—

Write to Adam Entous at adam.entous@wsj.com and Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com

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