Major changes in US policy on Syria, Trump Administration ready for compromise over Assad's ouster demands

Ankara/New York: Since the past six years, fierce conflicts have been taking place in Syria to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The US who had taken a stance by saying that the conflict would not stop until Assad is ousted, has now declared of important changes being made in its policy. Henceforth, ending President Assad’s regime would not be a US priority, said Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations.

Against the backdrop of the ‘Jasmine Revolution’ that was ignited in the ‘Arab-African’ countries, the rebellion in Syria had called upon a violent conflict against the Assad regime. The conflict that was started in the year 2011 by the rebellion had received support from the then US President Barack Obama. The Obama administration had claimed that peace and stability would be established in Syria only after ousting the humanitarian rights violator, Assad from power.

It was beginning to seem that the US efforts to bring down Assad from power, were gaining success. However, Russia turned the tables of the Syrian conflict after it took a leap into the conflict in 2015. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry admitted to it while speaking to a news channel three months ago. Even so, the Obama administration was firm on its stand that there could be no place for Assad in the new Syrian government.

However, Donald Trump had announced that after becoming the President of the US, his stance towards Syria would be different. The US security faces a major threat from the terrorist outfit ‘IS’ and Russia along with the Assad government have taken up the job of eliminating these terrorists. Therefore, during his election campaign, Trump had announced that the he was ready to work with the Assad regime in the conflict against the ‘IS’. Trump’s stance was welcomed by Russia as well as the Syrian President Assad. However, everyone’s attention was fixed towards the stance that Trump would adopt with respect to Syria after becoming the US President.

As per the information provided on Thursday by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley it was clarified that changes had been made to the US policy through her announcement which stated that it was no longer a priority for the US to bring down the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. Instead, it was more crucial for the US to make alternatives available in the struggle against the ‘IS‘ in Syria, said Haley. The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson highlighted the adoption of a new policy by President Trump towards Syria by stating that the Syrian people would decide upon Assad’s fate. Tillerson made this declaration while he was on a tour to Turkey.

Meanwhile, fierce reactions have emerged on the US policy changes towards the Assad regime in Syria. Accepting the Assad leadership was as good as supporting the bloodshed caused by Assad in Syria and President Trump had made this mistake, criticised the US Senator Lindsey Graham. The ambassador of France, ‘François Delattre’ clearly expressed his displeasure on the changed US stance by stating that Assad could not be the future of Syria.