Syrian rebels need sufficient US support: Ex-CIA director

“Right now, Assad feels he’s winning, so he has absolutely no incentive,” to cooperate, Morell said on “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday night on CBS.
 
“So, enough support has to be provided to the opposition - to put enough pressure on Assad - to bring him to the negotiating table, but not enough support provided to the opposition so that they feel that they don’t need to go to the negotiating table. It’s a very difficult balance to strike”, he added.
 
When asked if the support he envisages for the militant groups is more than what is currently being provided to them, he said, “I think it's more.”
 
Morell also said President Barack Obama shares his concern about the possible disintegration of the state of Syria.
 
“He takes that very seriously. And certainly agrees that that is an outcome that is possible and needs to be avoided,” he stated.
 
The US blamed the Syrian government for an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus last month against militants, but President Assad strongly denied the allegation.
 
Washington launched a massive campaign to gain domestic and international support for military action in Syria. However, its efforts failed as a large number of American lawmakers, the US public, and the majority of countries throughout the world opposed the idea of a military strike that could result in a regional war in the Middle East.
 
Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, announced an agreement on Saturday to bring Syria’s chemical weapons under international control in order to avoid a military response.