France Says Syria War not Over, Doesn’t Oppose Assad’s New Presidency

Local Editor

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reaffirmed France’s commitment to a political settlement in Syria, and hinted that Paris does not oppose the participation of Bashar al-Assad in the presidential elections.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Le Drian said that the war in Syria was not over, pointing to the fact that Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] hasn’t been defeated yet.

"If President Bashar al-Assad is a candidate, he will be a candidate. It is the Syrians who must decide their future", AFP quoted him as saying.

Commenting on the situation in Syria in the aftermath of Washington’s decision to withdraw its troops from the Arab Republic, Le Drian stressed that the war against Daesh was not over.

"There is a war against Daesh that is not finished, and those who consider Daesh to have been eradicated are mistaken. And then there is an internal civil war, and sometimes both wars are linked", he added.

Last week, Le Drian promised to withdraw French troops from Syria as soon as “a political solution” is achieved. He further stressed that Russia “bears political responsibility so that Syria has a political, not a military solution”.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team