WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — He noted that the Vienna Communique, agreed to unanimously by all members of the UN Security Council in December 2015, "clearly states… that the diaspora must be able to cast a vote" in new elections.
"I think everybody realizes that if all Syrians, diaspora as well, have a chance to vote, there is very little chance that Mr. Assad will be able to stay in power," Toner stated.
The Vienna Communique established an agreement for a political transition framework in Syria, including moving forward with a Syrian presidential and parliamentary elections within a timeframe of 18 months after the start of reconciliation talks between the government and opposition groups.
The United States has continually asserted its desire to see Assad removed from power in Syria.
In June 2014, Assad won Syria’s presidential election with 88 percent of the vote, in the country’s first multi-candidate election in more than four decades. Close to two thirds of Syrians exercised their right to vote then.
