Merkel admits Syrian conflict can not be resolved without Bashar Assad

“Assad will be part of that, but also others like the United States and Russian Federation as well as important regional partners like Iran or Saudi Arabia”.

He saluted the Syrian army’s members and martyrs “who deserve to be glorified”, stressing that the people of Syria have been making “miracles” having shown a high level of awareness and resilience in the face of the conspiracy targeting the country.

“As regards Syria, we call for a renewed UN-led global effort to bring an end to the war that has caused so much suffering and forced an estimated 12 million people to leave their homes”, the statement read.

Russia, a decades-long backer of Syria’s regime, has said it would not accept Assad’s departure as a prerequisite for launching any peace process in the war-torn country.

Assad must not be allowed to stay in power, but “we won’t advance if we say that Assad must go even before we start negotiations”, Fabius said.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has made similar comments.

On Wednesday, Assad issued two decrees increasing monthly wages for public sector employees in Syria, in an apparent gesture on the eve of the Muslim holiday.

“One should not forget the crimes that Assad has committed, but also not forget the pragmatic view of the fact that in this fight we are on the same side,” Sebastian Kurz said during the visit.

The diplomat noted the recent flurry of diplomatic activity on Syria after the Iran nuclear deal was announced, including a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Qatar, but said that window “slammed shut” with Russia’s new military buildup.

Yet, earlier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius claimed that Assad’s departure was not a necessary condition for commencing a political dialog about the Syrian crisis.

But French President Francois Hollande, whose country is set to launch air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, insisted Thursday that there could be no place for Assad.