For the European Union‘s part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said early Thursday that Assad should be part of any negotiations with the West.

„We have to speak with many actors, this includes Assad, but others as well,“ Merkel was quoted as saying at a news conference after an EU summit in Brussels.

Merkel said negotiations should not only be held with the U.S. and Russia „but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia.“