Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry is warning that Syria's government must accept the goal of an upcoming peace conference in achieving a political transition there.
Kerry says otherwise, Syria faces more armed opposition and increased international pressure.
The Syrian civil war has killed more than 100,000 people. Kerry's speaking in advance of a conference in Switzerland next week aimed at ending the war. He's responding to doubts that the government of President Bashar Assad has accepted the conference's objectives.
Kerry says Assad cannot be part of a political solution in Syria, as his opponents would never stop fighting him.
He doesn't give specifics, but Kerry says the U.S. is "not out of options" to increase pressure and, quote, "further change the calculation" of the Syrian government if it doesn't cooperate.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)







