Assad must go, but Australia wary of regime change, says Bishop

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia’s stance had hardened toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia’s stance on Syria had hardened towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his ­latest use of chemical weapons against his own citizens.

The comments come amid confusion over whether the US was focused on removing Assad and questions over what the next step would be after Friday’s ­missile strikes.

Ms Bishop said the strike on a Syrian airbase would send a message to Assad and his allies “that the international community will not tolerate a leadership that ­unleashes chemical weapons on its own people”.

Earlier this month, Ms Bishop had said the government’s “view has always been that Assad must be part of the solution” and he “must be transitioned out rather than it be a precondition that he must go”.

Yesterday, she said the inter­national community must work with Russia, which backs Syria, on a long-term plan of ending the conflict and removing Assad, but she maintained it should not be a pre-condition for a political ­solution.

“Russia will have to recognise it can no longer support the Assad regime,” Ms Bishop told ABC radio.

However, she was cautious about the consequences of swift regime change.

“The question is, how do you remove President Assad and what does the next day look like? Who is in charge of the Syrian military?” she said.

Ms Bishop said Australia’s position since 2013 was that Assad had lost all legitimacy when he used chemical weapons against his own people in that year, and again in 2014, 2015 and last week.

Meanwhile in the US, Republican senator Marco Rubio said there was confusion between the stance of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and that of US ­ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Assad’s future.

Ms Haley said in a CNN interview that a political solution in Syria was not possible untilAssad was removed from power.

“If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it’s going to be hard to see a government that’s peaceful and stable with Assad,” she said.

“Regime change is something we think is going to happen because all the parties are going to see Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria.”

On a separate program, Mr Tillerson said Assad’s fate was up to the Syrian people, and the US should focus on crushing Islamic State while working with Russia to stabilise Syria.

“It is through that political ­process that we believe the ­Syrian people will lawfully be able to ­ecide the fate of Bashar al-Assad,” Mr Tillerson said.

The White House National Security Adviser, General Herbert Raymond McMaster, said the US would take further action in Syria if necessary.