John Kerry aims to change al-Assad's plan to stay in power

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's downfall was inevitable and that the international community must work to change his intention to stay in power, DPA reported.

"We need to address the question of President Assad's calculation currently," Kerry said after discussing the situation in Syria with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Washington. "I believe there are additional things that can be done to change his current perception."

Kerry stopped short of detailing what might be done to change al-Assad's mind, but said his goal was to achieve a negotiated outcome that prevents a power vacuum and minimizes violence.

"It may not be possible. I'm not going to stand here and tell you that's automatic or easily achievable. There are a lot of forces that have been unleashed here over the course of the last months," he said.

"But we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to the Syrian people and the region and the world to make every effort to explore ways to achieve that negotiated outcome, and we intend to do that."