ISTANBUL: United States Vice-President Joe Biden has said the US and Turkey were prepared to seek a military solution against so-called Islamic State (IS) if a political agreement in Syria proves impossible.
Biden said a political deal “would be better” but “if that’s not possible” the US would pursue alternatives.
US officials said Biden’s remarks on a deal referred to planned peace talks between Syrian officials and rebels. They said his comment on possible military action applied only to IS.
The US vice-president was speaking after meeting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul.
Commenting on the chance of achieving a political settlement in Syria, Mr Biden said: “We are neither optimistic or pessimistic. We are determined.”
Referring to possible military action, he said this would entail “taking out Daesh”, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Biden said he and Davutoglu had discussed how their countries could further support Sunni Arab rebels opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
