Syrian Transitional Gov't in Doubt as ‘Facts on Ground’ Favor Assad

© AP Photo / Hassan AmmarA Syrian election official waits for voters at a polling station with posters of President Bashar Assad during the parliamentary election in Damascus, Syria
A Syrian election official waits for voters at a polling station with posters of President Bashar Assad during the parliamentary election in Damascus, Syria - Sputnik International
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Any transitional government in Syria is uncertain while the military balance favors the current government of President Bashar Assad, US Senator Ron Johnson told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the Syrian opposition’s Moscow platform proposed to appoint five vice presidents as deputies to Assad for transitional government arrangement. The proposal allegedly received a positive response from UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

"Until you change the facts on the ground, that dynamic, I am just not seeing much of a peaceful solution that would include a transitional government," Johnson said on Thursday when asked about the recent opposition proposal.

U.N. mediator for Syria, Staffan de Mistura gives a news conference at the end of the Syria peace talks at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Conditions on the ground in Syria appear to show that Assad "if anything, is consolidating his power," he said.

Johnson, who was unaware of the specific opposition proposal, stated broadly, "We could all hope and pray for a diplomatic and peaceful solution to this, but let’s face it, diplomacy follows facts on the ground."

In this Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 file photo, Libyan followers of Ansar al-Shariah Brigades and other Islamic militias, hold a demonstration against a film and a cartoon denigrating the Prophet Muhammad in Benghazi - Sputnik International
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The High Negotiations Committee, the main Syrian opposition delegation, ruled out the proposal, saying that Assad must leave.

At the March Syrian proximity talks, the negotiating sides reaffirmed the commitment to produce a draft constitution, including a framework for a government transition, by August of this year.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, agreed to unanimously in December 2015, established an 18-month road map for government transition. The process aims to advance the resolution of the 5 year long Syrian civil war.

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