Former Swiss Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte stressed that working with President Bashar al-Assad is the only way to reach a political settlement to the crisis in Syria.
“A solution is impossible without President Assad,” Del Ponte, also a member in the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss RTS TV in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, noting the strength of the president’s “popular powerfulness on the ground.”
Del Ponte joins many prominent voices in believing a solution to the Syrian crisis will require dialogue and negotiation with the Syrian leadership, claiming a settlement is possible “only in the presence of President Assad”.
“President Assad enjoys a great power – without him, negotiation is impossible,” Del Ponte said, referring to the improvement of the situation in Syria.
Earlier on Thursday, Lebanese Hezbollah also condemned the recent terrorist attack in the Tunisian capital.
