The Hill, 25 June 2014 – The White House on Wednesday warned Syria against intervening in Iraq, amid reports Damascus had launched cross-border military strikes on an Islamist group controlling large areas of both countries.
He called on Bashar Assad’s government to respect Iraq’s sovereignty amid the escalating violence.
“The solution to the threat confronting Iraq is not the intervention of the Assad regime,” Earnest said.
According to multiple reports, Syrian warplanes killed at least 50 people and injured scores more in an attack on Sunni militants near the border crossing of al Qaim.
The growing insurgency in Iraq has created curious bedfellows — and a difficult balancing act for the United States.
The militants have now seized cities, oil facilities and military bases from the control of the Shiite-majority, U.S.-backed Iraqi government in Baghdad.
The U.S. is deploying 300 military advisers to help Baghdad repel the threat.
The advance of Sunni insurgents also sparked alarm among fellow Shiite leaders in Iran, with Tehran offering military support.
Earnest said Iraq’s sovereignty “must be respected” by outside actors.
“It’s important that no one lose sight of the way that this situation can be resolved, that an over-reliance on military tactics may address some of the symptoms but will not get at the root cause of this problem,” he said.
“What the United States has been focused on is looking for ways that we can support Iraq’s political leadership as they pursue an inclusive governing agenda,” he added. “That ultimately is the way that this problem gets solved.”
Earnest said that despite dovetailing interests, the White House would “certainly not” communicate with the Syrian regime about the situation in Iraq.