President Bashar al-Assad in Syria has reiterated his call for a national unity government, even though the White House said his inclusion would make it a 'non starter'.

In an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti, Assad said it would be logical for there to be independent forces, opposition forces and forces loyal to the government represented in the new government. He rejected demands from the opposition that it should be put in place without his participation. Assad added that Russia's support was key to recent victories by government forces.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it is discussing with the United States a "concrete" military coordination program to liberate the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in Syria. CCTV correspondent in the Syrian capital, Damascus explained what this could mean for the war-torn country.