US could engage in talks with Assad for peace in Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said the Obama Administration is willing to engage in talks with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad towards a peace deal in Syria.
Kerry’s comments came on the fourth anniversary of the Syrian uprising. UN figures put the number of dead at more than 220,000.
The US had previously called for Assad to step down in order for any agreement to take hold, and even recognized the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) as the legitimate representative of the country instead.
“To get the Assad regime to negotiate, we’re going to have to make it clear to him that there is a determination by everybody to seek that political outcome and change his calculation about negotiating”, Kerry told CBS Correspondent Margaret Brennan in an interview taped in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“That’s underway right now. And I am convinced that with the efforts of our allies and others, there will be increased pressure on Assad”, he added.
Meanwhile, when Kerry was asked if the US is willing to negotiate with Assad, he said that the two sides would have to negotiate eventually.