Rex Tillerson warns Assad regime is ‘coming to an end’ – as G7 leaders agree he must step down
The US Secretary of State says the country will struggle to move on from violence with the tyrant in power
THE United States sees no place for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the future of the war-torn country, according to a top American official.
As the G7 called for a diplomatic push to resolve the conflict and create lasting peace for a unified Syria, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "Our hope is Bashar al-Assad will not be part of that future".
Tillerson says Russia must choose between allying itself with the US and like-minded countries or embracing Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iran and the militant group Hezbollah.
And foreign ministers from the seven countries said Moscow must change its attitude to Assad if there is to be hope of ending the brutal conflict that has destabilized the Middle East, driven millions to escape Syria and further frayed relations between the West and Russia.
Tillerson says it's unclear whether Russia failed to take seriously its obligations in Syria or has been incompetent.
But he says that distinction "doesn't much matter to the dead."
He added: "It is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end.
"But the question of how that ends and the transition itself could be very important in our view to the durability, the stability inside of a unified Syria."
Yesterday a senior US official said Washington has made a preliminary conclusion that Russia knew in advance of Syria's recent chemical weapons attack.
Yet the US has no proof of Moscow's involvement, said the official, who wasn't authorised to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity.
Tillerson said of the attack: "We cannot let this happen again."
But Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano says Russia must not be "pushed into a corner" over Syria, as the G7 ignored calls by Britain and the US for new sanctions on Moscow over its support of President Bashar Assad.
Alfano says Russia should put pressure on Assad to stop the use of chemical weapons, and should join an international push for peace in Syria.
Ending a G-7 foreign ministers meeting, he says "we must have a dialogue with Russia."