A Lebanese diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that two main issues emerged during the meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State group (IS) and other groups at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 3. First, there was a split between the United States and Turkey over the Syrian situation, and second, Washington was keen to focus its efforts on fighting IS and avoid the complexities of the thorny Syrian crisis and the stances of other parties on it.

These two issues become clear when comparing the draft statement set forth before the conference and the final text released after it was over.

According to the source, who participated in the meetings in Brussels, the preliminary draft had been prepared with a focus on the Syrian crisis, trying to present the war on IS as a war against the Syrian regime as well.

In the first draft of the text, Paragraph 11 focused on the UN reports regarding IS crimes of war and against humanity and civilians in Syria, reading, “Participants have pondered with great concern the suffering of the Syrian people, who live under the brutality of IS and the shelling of the [President Bashar] al-Assad regime. Participants have stressed their commitment to support the Syrian people in their efforts to confront IS, and to a transitional period based on the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, including increased support to the moderate opposition.”