USA: We're ready to work with Russia but not Assad over Syria - Obama

The United States is prepared to work with Russia to resolve the ongoing Syria conflict but President Bashar Assad cannot remain in power, US President Barack Obama said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday. "We must recognise that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo," Obama said. The US president also praised the role of international cooperation in reaching a deal over Iran's nuclear capabilities. "The result is a lasting, comprehensive deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon while allowing it to access peaceful energy," he said. Obama also conceded that the "US cannot solve the world's problems alone" and that direct military intervention has its limits. "In Iraq, the United States learned the hard lesson that even hundreds of thousands of brave, effective troops, trillions of dollars from the Treasury cannot impose stability on a foreign land," he said.