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  Assad must leave to end Syrian war: Barack Obama

Assad must leave to end Syrian war: Barack Obama

AFP/ REUETRS
Published : Nov 20, 2015, 12:06 am IST
Updated : Nov 20, 2015, 12:06 am IST

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said Syria’s civil war would not end unless Bashar al-Assad leaves power, discounting suggestions the Middle Eastern leader could take part in future elections.

U.S. President Barack Obama. (Photo: AP)
 U.S. President Barack Obama. (Photo: AP)

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said Syria’s civil war would not end unless Bashar al-Assad leaves power, discounting suggestions the Middle Eastern leader could take part in future elections. “Bottom line is, I do not foresee a situation in which we can end the civil war in Syria while Assad remains in power,” he told reporters in Manila on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooper-ation (Apec) summit.

Mr Assad’s fate has become a key stumbling block to peace in Syria and a point of contention between the West and Assad’s backers in Moscow and Tehran.

Mr Obama’s comments come days after meeting Mr Assad’s top backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, which appeared to see the two sides edge closer to an agreement. Russia, seeking to maintain its foothold in Syria, has strongly opposed Mr Assad’s ouster.

But Mr Obama insisted Syrians would not accept Mr Assad staying in power, after a brutal civil war that has seen his regime carry out indiscriminate attacks on civilians. “Even if I said that was okay, I still don’t think it would actually work,” Mr Obama said. “You could not get the Syrian people — the majority of them — to agree to that kind of outcome.”

Mr Obama said that Moscow and Tehran recognised ISIS as a “serious threat” but Russia’s efforts in Syria were aimed at propping up Mr Assad.

“What we are doing with our coalition members is recognising that it may take some months for the Russians and the Iranians and frankly some members of the Syrian government and ruling elites within the regime to recognise the truths that I just articulated,” he said.

Ending the four year war in Syria has taken on inc-reasing urgency as the ISIS group has gained more and more territory, assets and recruits. The militants are suspected of carrying out large-scale terror attacks in Paris, Beirut and the bombing of a Russian airliner, killing hundreds of civilians.

Meanwhile, Russia on Thursday said it is ready to work with the Western coalition fighting ISIS if its members respect Syria’s sovereignty. “We... Are rea-dy for practical cooperation with those countries which are part of the coalition and are ready to develop with them such forms of coordination that of course would respect Syria’s sovereignty and the prerogatives of the Syrian leadership,” Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Location: Philippines, National Capital Reg, Manila