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Syria not to allow encroachment on president's exclusive powers: minister

16 August 2013 05:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Syrian Information Minister reiterated Thursday his government's rejection of talks about a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers that could replace the president to control the army and security, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"A transitional government with full executive powers means the powers of the president such as supervising the military and security institutions to be put under the control of a government that would combine opposition and non-opposition and that would lead to breaking up the army into several parts," Omran al-Zoubi said in a statement.

Branding the idea as an "Israeli-American way of thinking," the minister said that "it is the only way to drag the military institution to the trap of disintegration."

"We will not allow that to happen, no matter what they do," the minister stressed.

Al-Zoubi said that the current constitution in Syria "clearly defines the prerogatives of the government, such as supervising the administrative and procedural affairs of the country, laying down plans, strategies and budgets and administering everything connected to the international relations."

The minister's remarks came one day after the Syrian opposition's National Coalition repeated its stance that stipulates the departure of President Bashar al-Assad and his regime as a prelude to resolving the crisis.

The West has floated the idea of forming a transitional government in Syria as part of their vision of achieving a political solution to the protracted crisis.