Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad must leave office or face being turfed out by force, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said, rejecting Russia’s bid to build support for its ally.
Speaking in New York after meeting Saudi Arabia’s allies, Jubeir on Tuesday dismissed Russia’s call for a coalition to defend Assad against the Islamic State group as a “non-starter.”
He warned that other countries would step up support for rebels from Syria’s moderate opposition, leaving Assad with no choice but to step down or face what he called the “military option.”
And he scorned Iran’s involvement in Russia’s putative alliance, describing Tehran as an “occupying power” in Syria and accusing it of fomenting terrorism and extremism across the region.
“There is no future for Assad in Syria, with all due respect to the Russians or anyone else,” Jubeir told reporters in New York after meetings with Saudi Arabia’s allies.
He spoke of only two possible outcomes for a settlement in Syria, saying a transitional council reached through a political process would be the “preferred option.”
A second, military option “could be a more lengthy process and a more destructive process, but the choice is entirely that of Bashar al-Assad,” the Saudi foreign minister said.
Jubeir would not be drawn on specifics of what the military option would look like, but noted that Saudi Arabia is already supporting “moderate rebels” in their battle against Assad.
“Whatever we may or may not do we’re not talking about,” he said, but quickly added: “There is a Free Syrian Army that is fighting against Bashar al-Assad.
“There is a moderate Syrian opposition that is fighting against Bashar al-Assad and this opposition is getting support from a number of countries,” he noted.
“And we expect that this support will continue and intensify.”
Jubeir said the best solution would be for Assad to accept the principles of the Geneva I agreement signed at a peace conference in 2012, laying the groundwork for a transitional government.
