President Bashar al-Assad would not run for office following a six-month transitional period, Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said on Monday.
Sinirlioglu told reporters on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in the Turkish city of Antalya that Assad will leave power after the formation of a new transitional government with full executive powers.
"An 18-month period is foreseen from the moment that a new government is formed in Syria," Sinirlioglu said. "In this period, a new constitution will be made. In accordance with that constitution, [Syria] will go to new elections."
The Turkish foreign minister also revealed that world leaders participating in the G-20 summit did not discuss the possibility of a ground incursion into Syria, and that Ankara does not plan to carry out such an attack on its own.
Russian G-20 envoy Svetlana Lukash revealed that the leaders will likeley review the fate of Assad while discussing the conflict in Syria and the fight against terrorism.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
