US ready to face any contingency in Syria: Pentagon

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry met Joint Special UN Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to discuss the situation in Syria, even as the Pentagon said it is prepared for any contingency in the trouble-torn country. "We are prepared to give the President options for any contingency," US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said at a joint news conference with visiting Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera. A State Department official, giving details of Kerry`s meeting, said the two leaders "reaffirmed the importance of advancing a political solution to the conflict in Syria within the framework of the Geneva communique." "They discussed assistance to the Syrian opposition, including our support to the SMC, and the ongoing efforts to help consolidate moderate elements of the opposition," the official said. Kerry appreciated Brahimi`s efforts and reiterated US support for his mission despite the challenging circumstances. Brahimi also met Hagel at the Pentagon, during which the two leaders discussed the US efforts to provide humanitarian relief to the Syrian people, the official said. "They also exchanged views on military effectiveness of the Syrian opposition and the role its leaders might play in a political transition," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said. Earlier in his joint press conference with Onodera, Hagel stressed that the US should collect enough facts and evidence before taking any affirmative decision. "I think we should wait and get the facts before we make any judgements on what action, if any, should be taken and what kind of action," Hagel said when asked what kind of action the US was contemplating against Syria. PTI