An opposition spokesman said he was disappointed with western countries that had offered support in words but not in practice to overthrow President Assad, above AFP/Getty ImagesIn a significant policy shift on the civil war in Syria, Britain and its western allies have finally dropped their long-standing demand that President Assad must step down — and may even accept elections in which he is allowed to stand again. Ministers yesterday confirmed a turnaround in policy towards Syria, a stance Britain has maintained since the start of the uprising in 2011. Since then at least 400,000 people have been killed, the majority of them by Assad forces and allies. This week, in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, Syrian opposition leaders were told they now had little choice but to accept that Assad was in Damascus to stay. There was no longer any point in holding up talks over Syria’s future by sticking…

Source: The Times August 25, 2017 22:52 UTC