Qatari foreign minister says 'de-escalation zones' are a step towards reaching a solution and not the solution itself.
The implementation of de-escalation zones should not be used to delay a solution to the Syrian conflict and the question of political transition, Qatar's foreign minister has said.
Speaking to Al Jazeera in Washington, DC, on Monday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said President Bashar al-Assad ought to leave office in any final peace agreement.
He said the de-escalation zones "are a step towards reaching a solution and not the solution itself".
"There should be a clear message that political transition is based on the Geneva I declaration, which ends with Bashar al-Assad and his regime leaving power and the establishment of a transitional authority."