BAGHDAD: British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday in a visit to the Iraqi capital that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime is "doomed" and should not survive.

"We believe that the Assad regime is doomed, that it is not possible for it to survive, and so many crimes (have been) committed that it should not survive," Hague said at a joint news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

Hague said he and Zebari had discussed "the need for a transition to a more democratic and stable Syria. That is the only way to avoid protracted civil war, or the collapse of the Syrian state, or an even greater flow of refugees and loss of life.

"The sooner this conflict in Syria is resolved and brought to an end, the better it will be for the people of Iraq, and for the whole region," Hague said.

"We believe in the creation of a transitional government which would be able to bring peace and stability to Syria again," he added.