美国国务卿克里星期日指责叙利亚要求不讨论阿萨德总统下台的做法，是在“明显试图干扰”联合国斡旋的旨在结束叙利亚5年内战的和谈。
克里说，自两周前宣布“停止敌对行动”以来，叙利亚境内的暴力冲突大幅减少80%至90%。但他表示，阿萨德政权是最大的停火破坏者。
克里说，停火破坏行动的不断增加会危及永久结束战斗并最终在叙利亚举行选举的努力。
克里发表上述评论前，星期日在巴黎与英国、法国、德国和意大利等国外长讨论了叙利亚危机问题。联合国主持的叙利亚和谈定于星期一在日内瓦举行。
星期一谈判开始前，叙利亚外长穆阿勒姆警告其他谈判代表说，谈判不能涉及阿萨德总统的去留。
叙利亚主要反对派首席谈判代表阿鲁什说，阿萨德必须下台。长期以来，美国也坚持阿萨德应当下台。
阿鲁什对法新社说：“我们认为，过渡期应从阿萨德的下台或死亡开始。”
尽管叙利亚双方在阿萨德能否继续担任总统的问题上存在分歧，克里还是敦促双方继续推进和谈。
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.