UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The United States believes the Syrian people no longer want President Bashar Assad as their leader, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told reporters on Monday.
"We don’t think the people want Assad anymore. We don’t think he is going to be someone that people will want to have," Haley stated when asked if the United States would accept Assad participating in elections. "We continue to strongly condemn the actions of Assad."
Haley stressed United States will not accept Assad taking part in the elections.
Last week, Haley stated that the United States "cannot necessarily focus on Assad the way the previous administration did," adding that Washington’s priority was now to get things done in Syria.
Assad’s fate has been an obstacle in the Syria peace talks for a long time, with former President Barack Obama's administration and its allies insisting that he must step down, and Russia saying that the people of Syria are the ones who should decide on Assad’s future.
