Saudi Arabia warns of military plan if Assad does not leave Syria peacefully

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has stressed the need for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave Syria peacefully, warning that his country has prepared a military plan if not.

Al-Jubeir made his remarks on Sunday during a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Kristian Jensen, in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The Saudi minister accused the Assad regime and the Russian air force of violating a “cessation of hostilities” agreement in Syria.

“I believe that abiding by the truce would be an important indicator of the seriousness to reach a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis that would include setting up a transitional council and the transfer of power from Bashar to this council,” he said.

Al-Jubeir warned that Saudi Arabia has prepared a “Plan B” for if it became clear that the Syrian regime and its allies were not serious, adding that if “the coalition decided to send ground troops into Syria, Saudi Arabia is ready to contribute”.

Remarking on the Kingdom’s relations with Denmark, Al-Jubeir said there are 100 Danish companies operating in Saudi Arabia.

The Danish Foreign Minister said issues discussed with officials in Riyadh included security problems in the region and ways to unite the Syrian opposition.