Baladi News - Journals
Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Minister, said on Thursday that Bashar al-Assad will remain in place for "a while" thanks to support from Russia, in his most frank comments yet on the reality on the ground in Syria.
"The British long-standing position is that we won't have lasting peace in Syria with that (Assad-led) regime," Mr Hunt told Sky News. "But regretfully we do think he's going to be around for a while and that is because of the support that he's had from Russia.
"Russia may think that it's gained a sphere of influence. What we would say to them is: Yes - and you've also gained a responsibility."
Moscow, which intervened in the conflict in 2015 on behalf of the Syrian government, helped swing the war in Assad's favour.
While Russia's relationship with Damascus, which dates make to the Soviet era, may not be new, its dominance in the civil war helped elevated it to power broker in the region.
Britain, which backed the opposition, broke all diplomatic contact with the regime in 2012 after peaceful protests were met with a brutal crackdown.
With the war winding down and Assad claiming victory, the UK and its allies must decide whether and how they will engage.
Last week, the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus, marking a diplomatic boost for Assad from a US-allied Arab state that once backed rebels fighting him.
"If you're going to be involved in Syria then you need to make sure that there really is peace in Syria," added Mr Hunt. "And that means making sure that Assad does not use chemical weapons on his own people."
By: The Telegraph.