US Ambassador to the UN: removal of Assad no longer "a priority"

For a long time the United States looks to other objectives, including the fight against the Islamic State. US Secretary of State: The future president will be decided "by the Syrian people." Criticism from the anti-Assad opposition: "unpleasant" words, "contradictory" messages.

New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, one of the purposes of the bloody war in Syria, which in seven years has caused over 320 thousand deaths and millions of displaced persons, is no longer a "priority."

This was stated by Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, according to whom the current leadership headed by Republican Donald Trump cannot "focus only on Assad" as did "the previous administration" of Democrat Barack Obama.

For years, Washington leaders have focused their efforts on the Syrian president, supporting the armed opposition fighting for his deposition. "We cannot just focus on ways to get rid of Assad," said Haley to the United Nations. Now the goal is to find a political solution.

For the head of US diplomacy at the UN the "priority" is now to look at the facts and "figure out how best to act," evaluate "with whom we must work" to "make a difference" for the benefit "of the Syrian people" . And the first essential thing is, for the US, to loosen the influence of Tehran and the Iranian military presence in Syria.

Analysts and experts point out that Haley has only "bluntly" stated what, in fact, has long been thought among the upper echelons of the US government. In fact, last year Obama administration increased the urgency for Washington to fight against the Islamic State (IS).

The Russian military intervention in late 2015 in support of the Syrian government, in reality rendered the idea of ousting Assad and supporting the moderate opposition impractical. Confirming the change of route of the White House, the statements made yesterday by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during the official visit to Turkey. The chief US diplomat stressed that the future of the long period of Assad "will be decided by the Syrian people."

Recently US President Trump reaffirmed the desire to work closely with Russia, along with Iran ally of President Assad, to seek a viable solution that puts an end to the conflict. The United States ultimately reaffirms their openness to other countries, including Turkey, to reach a long-term agreement.

The change of US administration in terms of conflict has raised more than an outcry among anti-Assad opposition leaders. Monzer Makhos, spokesman of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (Hnc), excludes "any role" current or future for the Syrian president. "The opposition will never accept - said rebel spokesman - Bashar Assad, in any way at any time ... There is no change in our position." He calls the words of Haley   "unpleasant"  and concludes that the US leadership is sending "mixed messages."

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• united nations
• Syria
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• opposition
• rebels
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• war
• fundamentalism
• jihad
• peace