Britain "open-minded" on timescale for exit of Syria's Assad
LONDON -- Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain was "open-minded" about the timescale for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad relinquishing power and did not rule out joining Russia in military action against Islamic State militants.
Speaking to British lawmakers, Johnson also questioned whether the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump fully understood Iranian involvement in Syria and the value of a nuclear deal struck between Tehran and world powers.
"There are no good options here (in Syria). We've been wedded for a long time to the mantra that Assad must go and we haven't been able at any stage to make that happen," Johnson told the House of Lords committee on international relations.
