US shifts priorities in Syria: Haley

Washington March 31 (IANS) US has shifted its priorities in Syria and no longer considers the removal of President Bashar Assad as a condition for ending the civil war a top official said on Thursday.

According to a report in RT.com US ambassador UN Nikki Haley said that after the new administration our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out.

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 Haley said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who was in Ankara meeting with his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu also said that the future of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.

Since the beginning of Syrian conflict US has continuously insisted that Assad must go for the sake of peace in the region.

US has also supported the moderate anti-Assad rebels in Syria.

According to the former Secretary of State John Kerry Obama administration planned to oust Assad s government by supporting the rebels but that whole ball game changed when Russia intervened in September 2015.

--IANS
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