President Macron: France is no longer insisting on the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad from power

ISR comment: 

For the second time in a month, the French president reiterated his policy shift towards Syria. The emphatic statement, while bringing hope that the new approach will end the bloodshed, it confirms France's reckless policy in Syria for the past seven years. Indeed, Without France's (and its allies) insistence that Assad is removed, the war could not have lasted this long and 300,000 Syrians did not have to lose their lives.  This shift is an admission of failure and complicity in a war that should not have happened. Indeed, peaceful transition to representative rule could have been realized without the bloodshed. Now that goal may never be realized given that Syria is destroyed and its people will be focused on reconstruction, not on genuine political reform.
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The News:


France is no longer insisting on the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, President Macron announced on Thursday During a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump, Macron said defeating terrorism and seeking political stability at home was now his top priority. Macron said. “I do not require Assad’s departure, that’s no longer a prerequisite for France President Assad’s departure is no longer as relevant for Paris, as fighting terrorism at home has now become the top priority, Macron stated. “Indeed, we now have a new approach in Syria, because we want results and we want to work closely together with all our partners including the United States. We have one main goal which is to eradicate terrorism, no matter who they are, we want to build an inclusive and sustainable political solution,” Macron said. “I do not require Assad’s departure, that’s no longer a prerequisite for France. For seven years, we did not have an embassy in Damascus - and still we have no solution.”