Britain's Cameron calls for talks on Syria transition

British Prime Minister David Cameron called for discussions on how to bring about political transition in Syria on Sunday as he prepares to meet world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Britain has stressed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would not necessarily have to go immediately as part of a peace deal.

"Assad can't be part of Syria's future. He has butchered his own people. He has helped create this conflict and this migration crisis. He is one of the great recruiting sergeants for ISIL [Islamic State]," Cameron told reporters on the flight to New York, according to the Press Association.

"He can't play a part in the future of Syria and that position hasn't changed," he added.

"Obviously conversations about how we bring about transition are very important and that's what we need to see greater emphasis on."

Cameron is expected to drop his opposition to Assad playing a role in any transitional government, according to broadcaster the BBC.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to attend the 70th anniversary meeting of the UN General Assembly, which opens on Monday, as efforts increase to put together a strategy to end Syria's civil war.

The war has killed some 250,000 people and caused about four million people to flee abroad, contributing to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

British officials have said that attempts to resolve the conflict have been hampered by Russian military support for the Assad regime.

Russia has recently increased its military presence in Syria with deployments of troops and warplanes combined with new arms deliveries to forces battling the Islamic State group, which has carved out swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Source: AFP