John Allen: U.S. position on Assad hasn’t changed
Allen said the U.S. still wants a negotiated political settlement in Syria that excludes Assad
Top U.S. envoy John Allen on Wednesday affirmed Washington’s position on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has not changed following controversial remarks earlier this week by Secretary of State John Kerry.
Allen said the U.S. still wants a negotiated political settlement in Syria that excludes Assad.
"General Allen reiterated that the United States' position on Assad has not changed," the U.S. embassy in Ankara said in a statement after Allen held "constructive talks" with Turkish foreign ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu
On Sunday, Kerry had said the U.S. would have to negotiate with Assad, though the State Department later said he was not specifically referring to the Syrian leader and that Washington would never bargain with him.
Kerry's comments drew condemnation in Turkey, one of Assad's most strident opponents, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu saying negotiating with the Syrian leader would be like shaking hands with Adolf Hitler.
"The United States believes that he has lost all legitimacy to govern, that conditions in Syria under his rule have led to the rise of ISIL (ISIS) and other terrorist groups, and that we continue to seek a negotiated political outcome to the Syrian conflict that does not in the end include Assad."
[With Reuters]
Also Read
-
How do you solve a problem like Assad?
Much of the criticism and nervousness among Assad opponents was more about what Kerry did not say than what he said Middle East -
Turkish PM says negotiating with Assad like shaking hands with Hitler
Davutoglu said voices in the West which say there is a need to negotiate with Assad “make us question our human values Middle East -
Assad shuns Kerry’s call for negotiations
Kerry made his comments in an interview that aired Sunday as the civil war in Syria entered its fifth year Middle East -
No place for Assad in Syria talks, U.S. officials say
France says that possible talks with Assad would be a ‘scandalous gift’ to ISIS Middle East -
Britain: Assad has no role in Syria’s future
Britain said it would continue sanctions to pressure the regime until ‘it reassesses its position’ and ends violence Middle East -
Syrian media hails Kerry's comments as acknowledging 'Assad legitimacy’
The top U.S. diplomat made headlines by saying negotiations with Assad’s regime were necessary Television & Radio -
Kerry concedes U.S. must talk to Assad to end war
U.S.-ally Britain insists that Assad has no place in Syria’s future Middle East
