White House: Issue of Assad's fate not 1 for US to decide

The issue of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad not being part of a transitional governing authority in Syria is not one for the US to decide, White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Monday. Carney was responding to reports that the Syrian regime said it will not discuss Assad leaving, which was a pre-requisite for the Geneva talks on Syria. "The reason why it is non-negotiable is not because the United States said that, it is because the people of Syria have said that, and the opposition has said that," Carney said during a briefing, "and so the transitional governing authority has to be one that is reached in accordance and by mutual consent, and that is why Assad cannot be part of the future of Syria or part of this transitional authority." The process in Geneva is ongoing, "and I would expect quite a few ups and downs along the way," Carney said. But the conflict in Syria has to be ended through a negotiated political settlement, he said. "Negotiations like this are by their nature long and complicated, but the aim is to find consensus, and that is what Mr. Brahimi is focusing on, and he certainly has our support in that effort," Carney said, referring to UN and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi. The Geneva communique is the foundational document around which the parties are meeting, "and we are realistic about how difficult this is going to be, but we are completely convinced that this is the only way forward for Syria, and that is through negotiations."