It is up to the Syrian people to decide if Bashar al-Assad should stay in power, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.
"We remain committed to the Geneva process. We believe that the future of Syria will not include Bashar al-Assad, but that is ultimately up to the Syrian people and the Syrian voters to decide," Nauert told reporters in a press briefing.
Asked whether the U.S. is prepared to accept Assad’s continued rule until Syria’s next scheduled presidential election in 2021 as reported by The New Yorker magazine, Nauert denied the claim.
"It's not up to the United States to ultimately decide. That is up to the Syrian people," the Anadolu Agency agency cited her as saying.
