West must work with Assad to end Syria crisis – analyst
The US must work with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government to resolve the crisis in Syria, an analyst tells Press TV.
“I think we need to come to grips with the fact, especially in the face of the threat of the Islamic State (ISIL), that Assad and the recognized government in Syria has got to be part of the path for moving forward,” James Jatras, a former US Senate foreign policy analyst, said in an interview with Press TV from Washington on Tuesday.
Jatras added that Assad must be considered as “some kind of a partner in stabilizing Syria,” otherwise, the crisis in the country “will continue to spin out of control.”
The UN’s Special Representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura has proposed an action plan for the areas where Syrian forces are fighting Takfiri militants, which includes “freeze zones” to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, starting with the country’s largest city, Aleppo.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday expressed his readiness to study the United Nations’ initiative to “freeze” military operations in Aleppo, saying it is necessary to work on the new proposal in order to bring back security to the city.
Aleppo has been one of the main areas hit by fierce fighting between the government forces and foreign-backed militants.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - are reportedly supporting the militants operating in Syria.