The US will no longer seek to overthrow President Assad.
The US has stated it is no longer seeking to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime but has warned it will not fund Syria's reconstruction efforts.
On December 17, US Ambassador for Syria James Jeffrey stated that Washington would no longer seek to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as previously planned. Instead, Washington wants to see a new, more progressive political regime.
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| US Ambassador to Syria James Jeffrey: Washington does not want to remove Assad, only a better government. |
James Jeffrey said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad now needs to compromise as he has failed to win the seven-year-long civil war in the country. "We want to see a change of substance, not a change of regime. We are not looking to remove Assad," Jeffrey said at the Atlantic Council.
Estimating that Syria will need around $300 to $400 billion for reconstruction, Jeffrey warned that Western powers and international financial institutions would not commit to funding Damascus.
"Western nations certainly wouldn't bet money on that disaster unless we got some indication that the (Syrian) government was willing to compromise," Jeffrey stressed.
Former US President Barack Obama frequently called for President Assad to step down, but the Trump administration has acknowledged on several occasions the possibility of Assad remaining in power.
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| A portrait of Assad was erected in a Syrian government military base to demonstrate the soldiers' trust in and support for the President. |
