Syrian President Bashar Assad says he won’t step down before elections and the United States has no right to interfere in his country’s politics. Assad has raised new doubts about a US-Russian effort to get him and his opponents to negotiate an end to the country’s civil war.

Assad says Syria’s future is up to the Syrian people and a decision on his political future must be made in the elections, not during a conference. Assad’s comments are the first about his political future since Washington and Moscow agreed earlier this month, to try to bring the Syrian government and the opposition to an international conference for talks, to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The US and Russia have backed opposite sides in the conflict, but appear to have found common ground in the diplomatic push. The White House and Kremlin hope to hold the meeting next month, but no date has been set. Neither Assad nor the Syrian National Coalition, has made a commitment to attend.