WH Aide: US Not Seeking Immediate Ouster of President Al-Assad
Local Editor
The United States won't insist on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's immediate ouster as it seeks a political settlement of the country's six-year war, US President Donald Trump's adviser said on July 20.
"I don't think it's important for us to say Assad must go first," Tom Bossert said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
"The US would still like to see Assad go at some point. That would be our desired outcome," he added.
Meanwhile, the White House's position represents a significant change from Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, who insisted that al-Assad must go as part of any political settlement in Syria.
For their part, other Western powers also softened their opposition to al-Assad recently, most notably France under recently elected President Emmanuel Macron, who like the White House said that al-Assad's stepping down is not a precondition for reaching a peace agreement in Syria.
Bossert however said there are needs to be a political outcome in Syria, not a military solution, and the Trump administration still believes that al-Assad staying in control does not offer the best hope for a peaceful Syria.
Whether al-Assad's leaving "comes first or second or soon thereafter, it would be a nice outcome," he said.
Bossert spoke following news reports that Trump had decided to halt the CIA's covert program to arm and train Syrian militants battling the Syrian Army.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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