UN Security Council agrees on Syria peace plan

“We’re under no illusions about the obstacles that exist… especially about the future of President Assad” where “sharp differences” remain, Kerry said.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond echoed the U.S. view, saying that it would be impossible to bring peace to Syria with Assad in power.

“And that means all the barrel bombs will stop, all the bombing, all the shooting, all the attacks on either side”.

The New York Friday meeting comes following two rounds of talks held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on October 30 and November 14 to discuss settlement of the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Kerry said a start to the talks in the middle or end of the month would be more reasonable.

“We intend and hope… that we will be able to do it in January”. Largely because of the Syrian war, the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide this year will surpass the record of 60 million, the United Nations refugee agency reported Friday.

The resolution does not touch on this vital issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said about the resolution: “This is a clear response to attempts to impose a solution from the outside on Syrians on any issues, including those regarding its president”.

The resolution does not touch on the question of Assad’s fate.

During a break in Friday’s talks, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said he had presented a document compiling the groups each country attending considered to be a “terrorist” organisation.

“We would like to see a normal relationship with Russian Federation and see a strong and powerful Russian Federation contributing to the resolution of disputes on a global basis, because we have enough challenges”, Kerry said.

Assad has been making rare public appearances as the fighting around the country intensifies and rebels outside Damascus have been hitting the city with mortar shells.

Kerry said that most ISSG members agreed that Assad would have to go, and many said so, notably France.

“Obama says the Syrian leader has too much blood on his hands and has to leave for the war to end”, Michele reports.

And in NY, the top U.S. diplomat has sought to reassure Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that the United States is not going soft on the Syrian strongman.

“If the responsible countries take actions against the flood and the flow of terrorists and the logistic support, I can guarantee that it will take less than one year”, he said, explaining that the terrorist groups don’t have genuine public support in Syria.

It reiterated previous calls for Member States to suppress terrorist acts by Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front and all others. In a change in policy, administration officials said that eligible groups would be judged by their willingness to participate in a cease-fire.

“Why didn’t they fight terrorism from the very beginning, before [IS] appeared?”