The U.N. chief said Thursday that the number of dead in Syria’s civil war has passed 100,000 and called for negotiations to end the violence that has shaken the country since March 2011.
All previous negotiations between the opposition, which has significant Western support, and President Bashar al-Assad’s administration have failed, according to USA Today. The conflict has been in a stalemate for several months but each side is adamant that it can defeat the other and have unrealistic standards for any possible negotiation.
Secretary of State John Kerry met with Ahmad al-Jarba, new president of opposition group the Syrian National Coalition, who asked that the U.S. supply more promised weapons to prevent a victory by Assad’s military, reports the Washington Post.
Calling the situation in Syria “desperate,” Jarba says American action is necessary “to push the international community to demand a political transition.”
“There is no military solution to Syria,” Kerry told reporters at the U.N. “There is only a political solution, and that will require leadership in order to bring people to the table.”
The U.S. began providing weapons to the Syrian opposition in June after determining that the president’s military had used chemical weapons against the rebels.