WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Last week, the State Department announced that Assad might take part in the political transitional process of the Syrian government.
“Nobody said that there wouldn’t be a role for Assad or for the institutions of his government in the transition,” Kirby said when asked why Assad had been boxed out of the political process.
The international community is currently engaged in a series of talks on a political resolution in Syria under the auspices of UN.
Kirby explained in the briefing that finding a political settlement in Syria through this international process “will inevitably involve some compromises by everybody.”
Previously, the State Department has repeatedly said that President Assad has “no role in Syria’s political future.”
Syria has been involved in a civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against opposition factions, including terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State and the Nusra Front – an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Over 220,000 people have been killed in the country since the beginning of the conflict, according to the UN. Some 11 million Syrians have been displaced, with over 4 million fleeing the country, fueling an urgent migrant crisis in Europe.
