US urged to hold Assad to account as power shifts in Middle East
by Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent from US news | The Guardian on (#6A7Q4)
Officials call on Biden to take steps to stop Arab states from normalising relations with Syrian leader
Moves to re-engage Bashar al-Assad without him taking steps to stabilise Syria or commit to reforms should be met by more robust US leadership that holds the Syrian leader to account and addresses a litany of US policy failings, a group of prominent former officials say.
In an unprecedented letter to Joe Biden and the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, the officials called for moves to stop a regional drift towards normalisation with Assad and impose a formalised ceasefire that facilitates a more impactful aid effort and helps ignite a political process.
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