Ousting Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, is no longer a possible option, Danish defense minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said on Monday.
In an interview with DR Nyheder, Frederiksen said that deposing Assad was not a priority of the Danish government. Eradicating the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) is the principal goal, he said.
“We might want Assad gone, but we need to face reality. We are not at war against Assad,” Frederiksen told DR Nyheder.
“That’s the gist of the situation. The aid that Russia provides Assad means he has attained a completely different level of strength.”
Frederiksen did, however, contend that Assad would not gain control of all of Syria, citing that the dictator has control of the western part of the war-torn nation, while the Kurds control the east. The Free Syrian Army is in the north.
The minister would not say whether Denmark would support an initiative that would divide Syria up in the future, with Assad maintaining control of the western part of the country.
Whatever happens, a “massive stabilisation job” in the region is unavoidable in the future should Islamic State be defeated.