BERLIN
Germany's position will be same towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime as it is towards the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the country's Foreign Ministry has declared.
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli said in a press conference in Berlin on Friday that Germany rejected Assad's call for a "joint fight" against ISIL in Syria.
Chebli said: "Our position and stance have not changed against President Assad."
However, Chebli drew attention to a statement by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Syria which said new steps should be taken towards finding a "political solution" apart from military intervention in Syria.
Chebli also said that Steinmeier praised the efforts of the U.N. Peace Envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, towards finding a "political solution" in Syria.
The conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has claimed more than 190,000 lives, and nearly 11 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country, according to the U.N.
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