French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he no longer believes that Bashar al-Assad’s departure is necessary before any political transition in Syria, in an interview published Saturday.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he no longer believes that Bashar al-Assad's departure is necessary before any political transition in Syria, in an interview published Saturday.

"A united Syria implies a political transition. That does not mean that Bashar al-Assad must leave even before the transition, but there must be assurances for the future," he told the French regional newspaper Le Progres.