Political Roadmap To End War In Syria Agreed By Diplomats In Vienna

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives at a hotel in Vienna, Austria on Friday, November 13, 2015.

World diplomats agreed Saturday on a path to Syrian elections in 18 months at talks in Vienna driven by a fresh sense of urgency after the Paris attacks, although the fate of President Bashar Assad remained a sticking point, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Russian Foreign Minister also said that following Saturday’s bilateral meetings he had the impression that the awareness of the need to establish that the most effective, comprehensive global coalition in the fight against Islamic State and other terrorist organizations mentioned by Russian president Vladimir Putin is getting stronger and stronger.

A meeting between 20 countries to discuss the crisis in Syria went forward Saturday under the pall of the deadly attacks on Paris that left almost 130 dead.

He said it is “more necessary than ever” to coordinate the antiterror fight and vowed no stop to French “international action”.

Previous rounds of talks held in Vienna in recent weeks, also with delegates from several countries including those invested in Syria’s war – Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the USA and Turkey – had failed.

KELEMEN: Yeah, I mean, Secretary Kerry says this has really encouraged everyone to work harder to end the war in Syria.

These countries agreed that the United Nations would lead consultations to determine the modalities of the ceasefire, which will not involve operations against Daesh, Al Nusra Front and other groups yet to be determined.

“The walls of mistrust within Syria, within the region, within the worldwide community are thick and they are high”, he said.

In Vienna, the Russian foreign minister offered more commitments to defeating ISIL.

The statement did not make clear how those groups would be chosen, but said they should follow principles such as committing to Syria’s “non-sectarian character” and keeping state institutions intact.

Moscow’s proposals for elections in Syria following an 18-month constitutional reform process have received a frosty reception in the West because they do not guarantee Mr Assad’s departure from power.

In a joint statement, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov decried the Paris attacks. That process is to be completed by the time the political process between the government and opposition begins in January.

Senior representatives from 17 countries, the United Nations, European Union as well as the Arab League were in attendance. “We have repeatedly invited them to a particular conversation, with specific cards for specific purposes, marked on these maps, asked our colleagues to express concerns and to explain what we are doing wrong”, Lavrov said.

That aside, the talks will focus on deciding which of the Syrian government, rebel and opposition factions – none of whom will be represented at the talks – will shape the country’s future.

And the U.S. military said Friday it was “reasonably certain” that it killed “Jihadi John”, the notorious militant with a British accent seen in grisly IS execution videos, in a drone strike in Syria.

Jordanian leaders will oversee deliberations on the latter issue, but the question of Assad is more complicated.