Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Shara has said that no country has the right to call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, according to a report published Wednesday, DPA reported.
"No-one has the right to interfere in the Syrian affairs," he added in remarks to the Algerian newspaper Al Khbar.
In the sharpest rebuke of al-Assad, who has been facing unprecedented protests to his rule since mid-March, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said al-Assad had "lost legitimacy" for failing to lead a democratic transition.
"The Syrians alone are the ones to make decisions for themselves along with President Bashar al-Assad whom they have elected," said al-Shara, who is heading "national dialogue" talks boycotted by opposition.
Washington stepped up its criticism of al-Assad after his supporters attacked the US and French embassies in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday.
Around 1,400 Syrians have been killed in a draconian security crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations, according to human rights groups.