President Bashar Assad's adviser said Wednesday it would be difficult to hold a presidential election in Syria, given its raging violence, and she rejected the opposition's call for a transitional governing body.

Earlier in the day, Louay Safi, a spokesman for the opposition's negotiating teams, said the issue of a transitional government was put on the table for the first time. But he added the government delegation stuck to its demand that putting an end to terrorists was still its No. 1 priority.

"Today we had a positive step forward because for the first time now we are talking about the transitional governing body, the body whose responsibility is to end dictatorship and move toward democracy and end the fighting and misery in Syria," he said.

Read the exclusive AP interview here