Syrian leader’s fate to be decided soon in talks: US
The United States says Bashar al-Assad's fate will be decided in international talks in the coming weeks, while the Syrian leader says there could be no transition plan when terrorists are still controlling parts of Syria.
"What I can tell you is that in the multilateral sessions, which will continue to occur going forward, the role of Assad in this transition will be spelled out," US State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
“But that’s why it’s so important, as we’ve talked about before, to get the opposition groups into this discussion,” he added.
The first round of talks on Syria was held in Vienna last month. Senior diplomats from some 17 countries as well as envoys from the United Nations and European Union participated in the negotiations.
The participants agreed on respecting Syria’s national unity and sovereignty as well as elimination of terrorist groups operating inside the country. However, they remained at loggerheads over the role of President Assad in any future setup.
While the United States and its allies insist that Assad cannot be part of any future government in Syria, Iran and Russia say that Assad's fate should be decided by the Syrian people alone.
Assad rules out ‘transition’ until ‘defeating terrorism’
In an interview with Italy's Rai television on Wednesday, President Assad said there could be no transition plan or elections while large parts of Syria are still under the control of terrorists.
"This timetable starts after starting defeating terrorism," he said.
"You cannot achieve anything politically while you have the terrorists taking over many areas in Syria. If we talk after that, one year-and-a-half to two years is enough for any transition," the Syrian leader said.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The crisis has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people so far and displaced millions of others.
The US and its regional allies, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have been backing militants fighting against the Syrian government and people.
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