PRESS RELEASE

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German Government Rejects Obama, Joins Russian Position on Syria

Sept. 24, 2015 (EIRNS)—In what might be a surprise for Der Spiegel readers, but not for EIR readers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that "we must talk with many actors, including Assad" at yesterday's European Union summit. "We have to speak with many actors. This includes Assad, but others as well," Merkel told a press conference after an EU summit on the migration crisis sparked by the Syrian war, France 24 reported today.

"Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia,"

Merkel added. It is significant that Merkel mentioned Iran, a key nation undoubtedly seeking stability in Syria.

"It was only a short remark, but it confirms a coming diplomatic shift in the search for solutions to the war in Syria," commented the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Both parties in Merkel’s coalition immediately signalled strong support for her. The leader of the Christian Democratic Union faction of the German Parliament (Bundestag), Volker Kauder, said "maybe we should have spoken with Assad earlier." And Social Democratic Party faction leader Thomas Oppermann said: "We must talk also with Assad," because we should talk with everybody who can help to achieve peace.

Also noteworthy is the statement of former Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jürgen Chrobog, who said in an interview yesterday with Deutschlandfunk, that the West needs Russia in the Middle East. A solution without Assad is not possible, Chrobog said. "We need the existing structures to achieve victory over ISIS. Russia wants to keep the system; if they want to keep Assad in the long term is another question," Chrobog said in that interview.