BERLIN, August 29. /TASS/. The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned out to be more stable than Berlin would like it to be, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at an annual news conference in Germany’s capital on Tuesday.

"Assad is stronger than I would like him to be," she admitted.

She added, though, that this does not mean a political transformation in Syria is not needed.

"In spite of that, it is necessary to continue negotiations on the possibility of a [political] transition that would facilitate reconciliation," Merkel stated. According to the German leader, this process is "very slow."