Washington warned Russia on Tuesday that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has no role in coalition operations against the Islamic State group and must step down to allow a political settlement.
Secretary
of State John Kerry called his Kremlin counterpart Sergei Lavrov to
restate the US position after Russia's President Vladimir Putin promised
to maintain military support for Assad.
"Secretary
Kerry made clear that Russia's continued support for President Assad
risks exacerbating and extending the conflict, and undermining our
shared goal of fighting extremism," his office said.
Kerry
"reaffirmed the US commitment to fight ISIL with a coalition of more
than 60 countries, of which Assad could never be a credible member, and
emphasized the US would welcome a constructive Russian role in
counter-ISIL efforts," it added, using an acronym by which the Islamic
State is known.
The
United States had hoped to convince Russia, a long-standing ally of
Damascus, to help convince Assad to step down and permit a transitional
regime to negotiate an end to Syria's civil war.
Washington
and its allies are bombarding Islamic State positions inside Syria, and
supporting "moderate" rebel forces there, but insist the Damascus
government itself is part of the problem.
But
Moscow sees Assad's army as a bulwark against Islamist rebels,
including the Islamic State, and has continued to send military
equipment and trainers to bolster its position.
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