(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
LONDON: Britain will countenance SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad staying in power for a transitionalperiod but he cannot remain in charge long-term Prime Minister
David Cameron said on Tuesday.
"What America is saying which I agree with is that youneed a transition but what's clear about that is at the end ofthat Assad cannot be the head of Syria" Cameron told CBS
Television Network.
"It wouldn't work because you would not be able to defeatISIL (Islamic State) if that guy is still running the country"Cameron said. "Assad is one of the recruiting sergeants for
ISIL."
Russia and the United States have agreed to look for adiplomatic end to the Syrian civil war but clashed over thecentral question of whether Assad should retainpower.
"So far the problem has been that Russia and Iran have not been able to contemplate the end state of Syria without Assad"Cameron said adding that he would work with any country to
defeat Islamic State militants.
"In the end however far apart we might be whether it iswith the Iranians or the Russians those two countries have aninfluence in what happens in Syria and we need to convince themthat you know a new Syria with a different leader would notnecessarily be against their interests but it would help to getrid of ISIL."
Reuters