Special to WorldTribune.com

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

U.S. President Barack Obama said Washington will work with any nation on resolving the war in Syria, specially singling out Russia and Iran.

But Obama, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 28, stressed there could not be a return to the state of affairs that existed in Syria before the war.

“We must recognize that there cannot be — after so much carnage, so much bloodshed — a return to the pre-war status quo,” Obama said.

The president denounced Bashar al-Assad as a tyrant and said efforts to oust the Islamic State militant group must not bolster the Syrian president.

Obama also said the world cannot stand by while Russia violates Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty.

He said Washington does not want to isolate Russia.

Obama said he wants Russia to engage diplomatically and resolve the crisis in a way that lets Ukraine determine its own future.

  Obama: U.S. willing to work with Russia and Iran to resolve Syrian war, WorldTribune.com