Obama: Assad must go for peace in Syria

US President Barack Obama said yesterday that there could not be peace in Syria without the withdrawal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Assad must leave Syria for peace in the country, for the bloodshed to be stopped," Obama said at a press conference on the results of the year, Interfax reports.

He did not indicate the required time period for the Syrian leader to leave, pointing out that five years ago he was right in the debate with the president of Russia Vladimir Putin on the crisis in Syria.