Today’s Syria negotiations are focusing on plans for a political transition, a key sticking point between the two sides. The Syrian opposition and world powers, including the United States, have demanded the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Ahead of today’s talks, a spokesperson for the opposition Syrian National Coalition said the Assad regime has sought to stonewall discussions on a political transition.

Louay Safi: “Tomorrow, we’ll start talking about transition from dictatorship to democracy. Clearly the regime is not enthusiastic to talk about that. They are stalling. While stalling, they are trying to use delay tactics, trying to go into details about information that can’t be verified. They are asking about names, a list of names of people who were blockaded, rather than providing humanitarian corridors.”

The Assad regime has ruled out Assad’s departure. Syria’s deputy foreign minister said Syria’s future will be decided by elections in which Assad would presumably run.

Faisal Makdad: “But as far as the issue of the president is concerned, President Bashar al-Assad is the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, until the Syrian people says something else, and I think every Syrian has the right to be nominated, to be elected or not to be elected. That’s why we are coming here to say, look, the only solution at the end of the tunnel is to go to elections.”