U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday accused Syria of “clearly trying to disrupt" the U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending the bloody five-year civil war in the country by demanding that there be no discussion of removing President Bashar al-Assad from power.
The top U.S. diplomat said that violence in the war-wracked country has been "hugely reduced" -- by 80 to 90 percent -- since a “cessation of hostilities” was declared two weeks ago. But he said the "single biggest violator" of the truce has been the Assad regime.
He said “incremental violations threaten to undermine” efforts to permanently end the fighting and any effort to eventually hold elections in Syria.
Kerry spoke after meeting with his British, French, German and Italian counterparts Sunday in Paris about the Syrian crisis, a day before the U.N. talks are set to begin in Geneva.
Ahead of Monday's discussions, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem warned negotiators that any talk about the fate of Syria's president is off the table.
Mohammad Alloush, the chief negotiator for Syria's main opposition group, said the president has to go, a demand the U.S. also has long made.
Alloush told the French news agency AFP, "We believe that the transitional period should start with the fall or death of Bashar al-Assad."
Kerry has urged both sides in Syria to proceed with the peace talks despite their conflict over the presidency.