Sharjah 24 – KUNA: The US on Thursday called for a political settlement in Syria. This came in a press conference by State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who told reporters "we continue to promote a political settlement to end the conflict in Syria. We're doing that in close consultation with our allies, with our partners, with the UN Special Envoy.

"A political settlement, we believe, must address the factors that drive the violence, that drive the instability in Syria will use a variety of tools at our disposal to push for a sustainable end to the Syrian people's suffering, will continue to support the UN's role in negotiating a political settlement in line with the relevant UN resolutions including UNSCR 2254."

According to Price, the US also seeks to "restore American leadership when it comes to humanitarian aid. As we know, Syria is a humanitarian catastrophe. The Syrian people have suffered for far too long. They have suffered under the brutal rule of Bashar al Assad. We must do more, we know, to aid vulnerable Syrians, including many displaced within Syria, as well as the refugees who have had to flee their homes.

"When it comes to Bashar Al Assad, he of course remains in power despite 10 years of civil war. If there is to be a sustainable into this conflict, we recognise that the Syrian government must change its behaviour. We're in the process now of reviewing what we might do to advance the prospects for that political settlement. And we'll consult, as I said before, closely with the UN, closely with our allies and partners in doing so." Price concluded by saying, "we continue to believe that we need to find a durable political settlement. That's precisely what we are invested in".