Syrian transition needs negotiations with Assad says Kerry
However, clarifying Mr Kerry's comments that were made in an interview to CBS news, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said negotiations would not happen directly with the Syrian president, stating “it has never been and would not be Assad who would negotiate - and the Secretary was not saying that today.
"By necessity, there has always been a need for representatives of the Assad regime to be a part of this process," added the spokesperson.
Earlier the Secretary of State said the conflict in Syria was "one of the worst tragedies any of us have seen", adding "everybody agrees there is no military solution; there's only a political solution".