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Tillerson believes 'Assad's reign in Syria is coming to end'

The US top diplomat noted that Russia needs to choose between Assad and the West

ROME, April 11. /TASS/. The United States is confident that the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will come to an end soon, and the sooner Russia stops supporting him the better for it, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday.

"It is clear to us the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end," he said speaking in Lucca, Italy, after a meeting with the G7 foreign ministers where ways of resolving the Syrian crisis were discussed. "We hope that the Russian government concludes that they have aligned themselves with an unreliable partner in (Syrian President) Bashar Al-Assad." he said.

The US top diplomat noted that Russia needs to choose between the West and Assad.

"We want to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people," he told reporters. "Russia can be a part of that future and play an important role. Or Russia can maintain its alliance with this group, which we believe is not going to serve Russia's interests longer term."

Tillerson noted though that he does not want to speculate on how Assad will end his tenure as Syria’s president.