US Shifts Priorities in Syria: Removing Assad Not Prime Concern

Local Editor

Washington's priorities in Syria had changed with the new administration, as the US ambassador to the United Nations [UN] said Thursday that Washington is no longer focused on ousting President Bashar al-Assad as it seeks ways to end Syria's war.

"You pick and choose your battles," Nikki Haley told reporters. "And when we're looking at this it's about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out."

Haley was speaking after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had signaled a change in the US stance by admitting that President Assad's eventual fate was up to the Syrian people.

Tillerson was in Ankara meeting with his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu. Some of their discussion involved Turkey's support for the US-led coalition against the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] in Iraq and Syria.

Speaking at the US mission to the UN, which is about to assume the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, Haley said Washington will focus on the push for a political solution.

"Our priority is to really look at how do we get things done? Who do we need to work with to really make a difference for the people in Syria," she said.

"We can't necessarily focus on Assad the way the previous administration maybe did," she said.

"Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out? No."

Halley said Washington would work with other players in the conflict, including Turkey, to seek a long term solution.

Since 2011, when the conflict in Syria began, Washington had insisted that "Assad must go" as the only acceptable solution for peace in the country.

The US had provided weapons and training to what it called "moderate" opposition in Syria, ostensibly so they could fight Daesh rather than the government.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team