Assad may have to stay as part of Syria deal, says Tony Blair

Tony Blair meeting President Assad in Damascus in 2001
Tony Blair meeting President Assad in Damascus in 2001
AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Assad may have to stay on as an interim leader as part of a deal to end the Syrian conflict, Tony Blair has said.

In a speech in London on the dangers of Islamism, the former prime minister said that the war in the country was an “unmitigated disaster” and had reached a point where “both Assad staying and the opposition taking over seem bad options”.

The Syrian opposition has made clear that they would not accept any peace deal that allowed President Assad to stay on, insisting that he has too much “blood on his hands” to play a role in a transitional government.

Mr Blair said that this may not be possible. He said: “Repugnant though it may seem, the only way