The situation in Syria – hundreds of thousands of civilians dead, millions displaced and cities and infrastructure destroyed – may from a distance seem insoluble; but pessimism is not the answer. There is a way forward, and it is set out in the plan for a new Syria we launched in London yesterday in the presence of Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and other representatives of the international community.

As the starting point for a transition from an era of military dictatorship to one of democracy and tolerance, we demand the departure of Bashar al-Assad and his cronies.