BREAKING NEWS

Kerry insists no place for Assad in Syria's future

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted on Friday Syrian President Bashar Assad has no place in Syria's future and said the United States was not without options on stepping up pressure on him.

Kerry will lead a US delegation to Switzerland next week for peace talks between the Syrian government and rebels aimed at ending the country's civil war. His comments also come as Syrian opposition groups vote on whether to attend the U.N.-sponsored talks in Montreux, Switzerland.
"I believe as we begin to get to Geneva, and begin to get into this process, that it will become clear there is no political solution whatsoever if Assad is not discussing a transition and if he thinks he is going to be part of that future. It is not going to happen," Kerry told a news conference after meetings with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts.
"We are also not out of options with respect to what we may be able to do to increase the pressure and further change the calculus," he added.