WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama should join in Russian efforts to form a broad coalition to combat the Islamic States in Syria and Iraq without requiring a resignation of Syrian President Bashar Assad, former US Senator and Presidential Hopeful Mike Gravel told Sputnik on Monday.
"Obama should join Putin in his plan of a unified effort in Syria without the requirement that Assad be forced to leave. Leave that for later. He’s the legitimate sovereign leader of that country and if later on he wants to make a common cause with the legitimate opposition, he’s open to that. Putin has already acted as a broker in that respect," Gravel stated.
