Syria: US will engage with all groups – Biden

President Joe Biden of the United States has said his administration would engage with “all Syrian groups” over the political transition.

Biden’s stand comes after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was toppled by Islamic rebels in the country over the weekend.

The rebels entered Damascus and seized control of the nation’s capital on Sunday, ending Assad’s family’s iron-fisted rule that has lasted for over 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.

However, Biden said his administration “will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign Syria with a new constitution.”

Asked what should happen to al-Assad, who has reportedly fled to Russia, Biden told reporters that “Assad should be held accountable.”

Speaking from the White House, Biden called al-Assad’s fall from power a “moment of historic opportunity” for Syria.

He added, “The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice.

“It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.”