U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday said Washington is prepared to work with Russia and Iran to try to end the more than four-year war in Syria that has spawned ISIS.
"The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict," Obama told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. "But we must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo."
"There is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like ISIL (ISIS) and the United States makes no apology for using our military as part of a broad coalition to go after it," he said.
He also denounced those who support leaders like Syria's Bashar Assad, accusing him of slaughtering children.
The barb, a direct attack on Russia and Iran for their ongoing military backing for Damascus, came shortly before Moscow's President Vladimir Putin was to speak.
Obama said some states prefer stability over the international order mandated by the U.N. Charter, and try to impose it by force.
"We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling," he said.
"In accordance with this logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar Assad who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children, because the alternative is surely worse." (Agencies)
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