Russia, US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia Start Talks on Syria

Lavrov made the remark following a Friday meeting between Russian Federation, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the Syrian conflict in the Austrian capital Vienna.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted his country and Jordan agreed to set up a special working mechanism to coordinate the military action in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the West of playing a “double game” with terrorist groups in Syria, where a US-led coalition is conducting a bombing campaign.

“What we agreed to do today is to consult with all parties and aim to reconvene, hopefully as early as next Friday with a broader meeting in order to explore whether there is sufficient common ground to advance a meaningful political process”, Kerry added.

In addition, it also signified Assad’s inclusion in any future settlement of the Syrian conflict, particularly as this is Assad’s first known trip overseas since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, analysts say.

“I am convinced… that today’s meeting was constructive and productive and succeeded in surfacing a few ideas, which I am not going to share today, but which I hope have a possibility of ultimately changing the dynamic”, Kerry told reporters. She lost her leg because of illness while in a refugee camp.

Russian Federation was selling the unity deal between the Assad government and certain secular rebel factions for months before they entered the war directly, but often found themselves rejected, particularly by the US-backed rebel factions who insisted no deal was possible under any circumstances.

In the meantime, Russia’s air campaign that began September 30 continued Friday, with a steady stream warplanes taking off from nearby Hemeimeem air base.

Kartapolov said the strikes – which targeted the provinces of Hama, Idlib, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor – had destroyed a bridge over the Euphrates River used for moving supplies to fighters from neighbouring Iraq. Unlike other parts of Syria, it has remained firmly under government control and has largely been spared destruction that most of the country has suffered in the civil war that began in 2011.

Human rights groups say barrel bombings by the regime are the number one killer in the four-year war, claiming more civilian lives than IS attacks. The Syrian Revolution Talbiseh, a Facebook page operated by activists in the town, posted videos of the airstrikes.

Putin on Thursday said that the Syrian government should join efforts against the Islamic State group with “those opposition forces that are ready for dialogue”. They show a small street covered in the debris of the collapsed building and white smoke above the heads of men searching the rubble for survivors.

But southeast of the city, where the Islamic State has a strong presence, the group said it had advanced on a major road linking Aleppo to the central provinces of Hama and Homs.

“Certainly Syria as a country is considered our friend, and we are prepared to help, not just militarily against terrorism, but also politically”, said Putin.