POLICY_ Kerry: US will negotiate with Syrian regime

THE HILL

Kerry: US will negotiate with Syrian regime

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By Jesse Byrnes - 03/15/15 02:40 PM EDT

Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its allies will ultimately talk with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to find a diplomatic solution to his country's civil war.

“We have to negotiate in the end,” Kerry told CBS News in an interview, parts of which aired Sunday morning on "Face the Nation."

"We’ve always been willing to negotiate in the context of the Geneva I process," Kerry said, referring to the United Nations-backed push starting in 2012 for a political transition in Syria.

"What we’re pushing for is to get him [Assad] to come and do that, and it may require that there be increased pressure on him of various kinds in order to do that," Kerry said.

"We've made it very clear to people that we are looking at increased steps that can help bring about that pressure," Kerry added.

Kerry did not reiterate to CBS the standard U.S. line that Assad has lost legitimacy and must be replaced.

As recently as Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki maintained that "Assad must go and be replaced through a negotiated political transition that is representative of the Syrian people."

Assad's power in Syria has seemingly been strengthened in recent months with backing from Iran and Russia, as well as the U.S.-led campaign to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Syria views ISIS as a common enemy, though U.S. officials have said they are not coordinating with Syria against the Islamic militant group.

Kerry said the U.S. and other nations, which he didn't name, were working to reignite diplomatic talks with Assad.

"Why? Because everybody agrees there is no military solution. There is only a political solution," Kerry said.

"But to get the Assad regime to negotiate, we're gonna have to make it clear to him that there is a determination by everybody to seek that political outcome and change his calculation about negotiating. That's underway right now. And I am convinced that with the efforts of our allies and others, there will be increased pressure on Assad," he added.

The four-year Syrian conflict has left more than 200,000 people dead, according to the United Nations, and has displaced millions.

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