CIA and Pentagon 'Do Not Want Obama to Resolve Syrian Crisis'

Intelligence and defense agencies in the United States are interested in a prolonged armed conflict in the Middle East, Izvestiya reported, citing a high-ranking source in Russian foreign policy circles.

"Obama is trying to resolve a problem that he himself created. He received the Nobel Peace Prize and now needs to show that it was well-earned. He also understands that history will remember him as a president who destroyed one country (Libya), fueled tensions in Ukraine, filled the Middle East (particularly Syria) with terrorists and as a result sparked the refugee crisis in Europe," the source explained.

US defense agencies do not share Obama's desire to put an end to violence in Syria.

"The CIA and the Pentagon are interested in a prolonged conflict in the Middle East," the source noted, adding that this was the primary reason why US foreign policy was so ambiguous.

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, an F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, as the U.S. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, launched its first airstrikes by Turkey-based F-16 fighter jets against Islamic State targets in Syria

© AP Photo / U.S. Air Force via AP

The source also noted that America's allies have prevented the US from promoting the Russian-backed political peace process in Syria. The fate of President Bashar al-Assad is no longer a point of contention for Washington and Moscow, but Washington's allies in the Middle East adhere to an "unconstructive" approach to the issue.

As a result, high-ranking US officials have been forced to publicly call for Assad's immediate resignation so that they don't "lose" friends in the region.

Tarek Ahmad, representative of Syria's so-called Hmeymim opposition group, shared these sentiments.

"Everything points to the fact that the US does not want the political process to succeed," he told Izvestiya. Washington has been "forced to take part in the Geneva talks, but it is counting on developments on the battlefield and particularly on escalating tensions."

He added that Washington is trying to fuel instability in other countries in the Middle East.

"In addition, the situation has been further complicated by conflicts among various US agencies. The Pentagon, the CIA, the US State Department and the White House pursue different, sometimes conflicting interests. This does not help to resolve the Syrian crisis," he said.

Air strike on terrorists' facilities in the Rasmus quarter in southwest Aleppo

© Sputnik / Michael Alaeddin

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Ahmad hailed the Russian Foreign Ministry for its efforts to bring lasting peace to Syria, saying that Russian diplomats have managed to compel the United States to stick to a constructive approach.

Tensions among various governmental agencies are not a new phenomenon, head of foreign policy research at the USA and Canada Institute in Moscow Pavel Podlesny said. This friction has existed since the Syrian war broke out, he added.

"Obama wants to resolve the Syrian crisis before his term runs out, but his statements do not always follow the same logic. John Kerry is the only person who has acted consistently, but he has many opponents," the analyst noted. "Moreover, people who work with him and for him, for instance Victoria Nuland, do not want fighting in Syria to stop."

Qadri Jamil, one of the leaders of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, also mentioned that the United States was interested in prolonging the crisis that has affected the region and Europe.

"We need to put an end to this. The talks are needed more than ever. They should have been launched yesterday, but it is better late than never," he said.