来自30多个国家、联合国以及叙利亚交战方的代表团在瑞士召开期盼已久的和平会议，叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的政治未来从一开始便成为引起分歧的话题。
 
美国国务卿约翰·克里星期三尖锐批评了叙利亚政府。他说，在叙利亚危机刚开始的时候，政府军针对和平示威使用武力并不断加剧。他说，由于叙利亚政府和反对派在阿萨德何去何从的问题上有分歧，一个经过双方同意组建的过渡政府不能有他的位置。
 
克里说：“根本就不可能想象，一个领头残暴对付本国人民的人，能够重新获得执政的合法性。”
 
叙利亚外长瓦立德·穆阿里姆对克里说，只有叙利亚人才有权选择他们的总统。俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫也重申了俄方的立场，也就是叙利亚事务不能由其它国家说了算。
 
 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's political future has been a divisive issue as delegations from more than 30 countries, the United Nations and Syria's warring sides meet for a long-awaited peace conference in Switzerland.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sharply criticized the Syrian government Wednesday, saying the country's crisis began as soldiers used "increasing force" against peaceful demonstrations.  He said that because the government and opposition differ on Mr. Assad's fate, the Syrian leader cannot be a part of a mutually agreed transitional government.

"There is no way, no way possible in the imagination that the man who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain the legitimacy to govern."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told Kerry that only Syrians have the right to choose their president.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also reiterated his country's stance that other nations should not have a say in Syria's affairs.