Iran’s president says Syria’s Assad must stay in power

“Barring either regime victory over the insurgency, which is unlikely, or a USA policy shift toward political transition away from Assad – which would bring regional allies and insurgents on board against ISIS – I don’t see any prospect of defeating ISIS“, Itani said. The United States and its coalition partners including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the UAE have carried out more than 2,500 air strikes in Syria, according to USA figures.

When world leaders convene for the United Nations General Assembly debate Monday, September 28, 2015, it will be a year since the USA president declared the formation of an worldwide coalition to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State group.

He said Moscow, which this month sent tanks and warplanes to a Russian military base in Syria, was trying to create a “coordinated framework” to resolve the conflict.

“We would welcome a common platform for collective action against the terrorists“. And any willingness by the White House to collaborate in Syria and Iraq could place it in a de facto alliance with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which the US considers a terrorist organization.

Lavrov, when asked about the objective of the cooperation with Iraq, said it was to “coordinate the efforts against ISIL”.

The U.S. and Russian Federation are due to meet today for crucial talks about the worldwide response to the Syrian war and the global humanitarian crisis it has triggered. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is among leaders who’ve accepted the possibility that Assad may need to stay in power in the short term to oversee a change of government.

On Monday (Sept 28), Mr Putin will address the UN General Assembly in New York to outline his plans for Syria, notably the idea of expanding a coalition, which would include Assad’s army, to fight ISIS.

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, like Russian Federation a big military supporter of Assad, told reporters any discussion of political reform in Syria should come only after the threat of “terrorism” had been removed.

Another 250-300 in total could also be deployed over a period of time in troubled South Sudan in a twin approach the Prime Minister said could help curb the flow of migrants towards Europe.

Rohani appeared to extend an olive branch to the West by adding that the Syrian opposition should also play a role in the country’s future, alongside Assad.

The United States has a US$500-million (B18.1 billion) programme to train and equip vetted moderates recruited from among the rebels fighting Assad, but it has faced repeated setbacks.

However he said reports of Russian military action in Syria would not alter such plans. This has led to a lot of focus shifting, particularly with the U.S. picking and choosing whether Iraq or Syria is the “focus” at any given time.

German government officials, however, denied Merkel was backing the positions of Spain or Austria, who see Assad as possibly playing a role in an interim solution for Syria that would involve joining with worldwide military forces to defeat the IS group.

Obama and Putin have long had a strained relationship and their body language in face-to-face meetings is always closely scrutinized for signs of tension.

They agree with United Nations investigators who have amassed evidence that Mr Assad is guilty of grave war crimes, but they are allegedly open to exploring a deal to end the violence.