Cameron: Assad Should Face Criminal Court

The Prime Minster has said President Bashar al Assad should face justice after the Syrian crisis is over.

Speaking to reporters on a flight to New York, David Cameron said talks over finding a solution to the conflict are top of his priorities during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly.

Insisting "Assad can't be part of Syria's future," his comments come asPresident Putin is expected to address the UN on Monday calling for international support behind the Syrian government to defeat the group that calls itself Islamic State.

Russian troops and weaponry have recently been shuttled into Syria which could be used to help Assad combat IS.

But the PM said of Mr Assad: "He has butchered his own people. He has helped create this conflict and this migration crisis. He is one of the great recruiting sergeants for ISIL.

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    Gallery: In Pictures: Syria's Civil War

"He can't play a part in the future of Syria and that position hasn't changed. Obviously conversations about how we bring about that transition are very important and that's what we need to see a greater emphasis on."

Asked by Sky News if the PM thought Assad should face a criminal court at the end of the conflict, Mr Cameron said: "I think that people who break international law should be subject to international law, and that's something that hasn't changed."

There are fears though, that Russian intervention will help prop up President Assad.

"What we have to discuss with Russia, what we have to try to reach agreement about is, at the end of the day it is in everyone's interest that this part of the world has stability," he said.

"That it has governance that will represent all of the people, it isn't fermenting terrorism.

"My argument with Russia is that Russia will always suffer from domestic extremism and Islamist extremist violence as much as anybody and so we need to defeat the extremism and its causes."

With Russian fighter jets now in the region, there have been suggestions this could complicate US missions over Syrian airspace and call into question David Cameron's push for Britain to extend its air operation against IS into Syria.

The Prime Minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders in the region about the conflict during his visit to the UN. He will also speak at an ISIL coalition event on Tuesday.