That sentiment comes on the heels of a plan laid out by global diplomats in Geneva over the weekend that called for a transitional government to be established.

According to the plan, backed by Russia and China as well as the West, such a government "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent."

The Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement of general support for the plan, but didn't address the transitional government issue.

"We have noticed the vagueness of several points in the final document, which need explanation," the ministry said. "However, since the participants adhere to the fact that the Syrian population alone is the final decision maker with regards to its future with no foreign intervention, then all matters are negotiable in a national dialogue."

More than 14,000 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed since the Syrian uprising began 16 months ago, opposition groups said.

A spokesman for the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that the group had tallied the total killed at 16,757. Of them, 11,657 were civilians, 4,227 were members of the military or security forces and 873 were defectors or members of the opposition Free Syrian Army, said Rami Abdulrahman, the spokesman.