Bashar al-Assad will never rule all of Syria again, the White House has said, asserting that his iron-clad rule was now over.
"Basically the dictator of Syria and the ruler, the iron-clad ruler of Syria, is over. And while there are shifts in momentum on the battlefield, Bashar al-Assad, in our view, will never rule all of Syria again," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters yesterday.
Carney said the US was providing assistance to the opposition and humanitarian relief to the Syrian people who have been miserably affected by repressive regime of Assad.
The US is ramping up its assistance, he added.
"Our goal is to strengthen the cohesion of the opposition and the effectiveness of the Supreme Military Council in their efforts to defend themselves against a repressive regime that has shown no boundaries in its willingness to kill civilians," he said.
"We are daily contact with the Supreme Military Council to discuss what we can do to help support their needs, and that effort continues," the official said.
Noting that the US was constantly assessing the situation in Syria, he said there was no question the situation on the ground was serious and has been for some time.
"We are focusing our efforts to help bring about the day when a transition can take place that will help Syria turn the corner towards a cessation of violence and reconciliation and the possibility of a government that respects the rights of all of Syria's people," Carney said.
