Fabius: Assad's departure not necessary before transition

The departure of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is no longer necessary before any political transition in the war-torn country, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in an interview published Saturday.

The comments mark a softening of Paris' position on the Syrian president as attention turns to the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group which staged a series of bloody attacks on the French capital last month, killing 130.