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Former US presidential candidate John McCain, who has just returned from Syria, says President Bashar Assad is not "going to go to a conference in Geneva when he is prevailing on the battlefield".
Former US presidential candidate John McCain said on Sunday that he was not optimistic about any solution to the conflict in Syria in the short term.
The Republican senator for Arizona made a secret visit to northern Syria last week, where he met several members of the revolutionary leadership. On Sunday morning he told the CBS programme "Face the Nation" that he believes President Bashar Assad is unlikely to step down.
"Remember all this talk that we've heard for a year or two, 'it's inevitable that Bashar al-Assad will fall'?" he said.
"Well, I think we can't make that statement today as the Iranians, Hezbollah has now invaded, the Iranians are there, Russia is pouring weapons in."
McCain said it was "just ludicrous" to assume that "Assad is going to go to a conference in Geneva when he is prevailing on the battlefield".
"Thanks to increased weapons, thanks to Hezbollah fighters, thanks to extremist Shia coming in from Iraq, the Russians pouring weapons in, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, that we are seeing, unfortunately, a battlefield situation where Bashar Assad now has the upper hand, and it's tragic, while we sit by and watch," he added.
Former US presidential candidate John McCain said on Sunday that he was not optimistic about any solution to the conflict in Syria in the short term.
The Republican senator for Arizona made a secret visit to northern Syria last week, where he met several members of the revolutionary leadership. On Sunday morning he told the CBS programme "Face the Nation" that he believes President Bashar Assad is unlikely to step down.
"Remember all this talk that we've heard for a year or two, 'it's inevitable that Bashar al-Assad will fall'?" he said.
"Well, I think we can't make that statement today as the Iranians, Hezbollah has now invaded, the Iranians are there, Russia is pouring weapons in."
McCain said it was "just ludicrous" to assume that "Assad is going to go to a conference in Geneva when he is prevailing on the battlefield".
"Thanks to increased weapons, thanks to Hezbollah fighters, thanks to extremist Shia coming in from Iraq, the Russians pouring weapons in, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, that we are seeing, unfortunately, a battlefield situation where Bashar Assad now has the upper hand, and it's tragic, while we sit by and watch," he added.
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