White House: The War in Syria Will Not End Until Assad Leaves

Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, responded on Wednesday, March 30, to Bashar al-Assad's remarks regarding the formation of a transitional government, stating that as long as Bashar al-Assad is in power, unrest and war in Syria will not come to an end. Earnest, speaking at a press conference, said in response to a question about Assad's statements in an interview with a Russian news agency regarding the Syrian transitional government, 'I have not seen the interview and do not know if he (Bashar al-Assad) sees himself as part of a national unity government or not. (But if that is the case) it is clear that from our perspective, it would not be fruitful or successful.' The White House spokesperson added, 'His approach towards Syrian citizens and the use of the army to suppress the people is not only completely unethical but has also led the majority of the people to rise against him. Therefore, no scenario can be imagined in which Bashar al-Assad is president and political unrest and violence in Syria have come to an end.' Josh Earnest emphasized, 'Over the years, we have always said that a successful solution to end the political chaos in Syria requires Bashar al-Assad to step down from power.' Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, in an interview with RIA Novosti published on Wednesday, stated that a draft of a new Syrian constitution could be ready within weeks and the formation of a new government including figures from the opposition, independents, and his supporters could be agreed upon. Bashar al-Assad added, 'Although technical issues should be discussed in the Geneva negotiations, reaching an agreement on a new government is not that difficult.' Meanwhile, Syrian opposition figures have reacted to these statements by saying that as long as Bashar al-Assad is in power, no government has legitimacy. A senior opposition negotiator stated that a political solution to the war in Syria is only possible through the establishment of a transitional government with full authority, not another government led by Bashar al-Assad. According to Reuters, George Sabra, a member of the High Negotiations Committee of the opposition, said, 'What Bashar al-Assad is talking about has nothing to do with the political process.' The five-year war in Syria has left more than 250,000 dead and caused five million Syrians to seek refuge in other countries. A new round of indirect negotiations between representatives of the Syrian government and its opponents concluded last Thursday in Geneva, and these negotiations are set to resume in two weeks. These negotiations coincided with a ceasefire and truce plan in Syria. Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, has also stated that the issue of power transfer must be on the agenda for the next round of negotiations, as it is the main issue. Meanwhile, representatives of the Syrian government have said that the presidency is a red line for them and they are not willing to negotiate on this matter.