Iraq, Lebanon to join Vienna talks on Syria : Russian Federation

It will be the first time all the major players in the conflict are in the same room, though there has been no mention of either the Syrian government or the opposition attending.

President Putin and his counterpart President Bashar Al-Assad recently met in Moscow to discuss the military campaign in Syria.

Thomas van Linge, the Dutch teenager who has gained renown for his detailed maps of the Syrian conflict, groups the combatants into four broad categories: rebels (from “moderate” to Islamist); loyalists (regime forces and their supporters); Kurdish groups (who aren’t now seeking to overthrow Assad, but have won autonomy in northeastern Syria, which they have fought ISIS to protect); and finally, foreign powers.

Who’s not there? Assad’s government and the Syrian opposition.

US Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned that this week’s talks would not secure an immediate political solution, but nevertheless represented the best hope available.

“Russia’s entrance, given its potential and capabilities, is something we see is going to have an effect on limiting terrorism in Syria and eradicating it”, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.

‘The challenge that we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell, ‘ he added.

Britain’s Foreign Office said the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan will also attend Friday.

Kerry also said the USA was stepping up military efforts against the Islamic State.

The wave of refugees has strained the capacities of Syria’s neighbours and thrown European migration policy into disarray as hundreds of thousands of Syrians seek to make their way to Germany and other wealthy European countries.

Yet in the 40 months since the communique was signed by Russian Federation, the USA and other nations – though not Iran – there has been no movement toward implementing it, mainly because talks have always hit a wall when it comes to what role, if any, Assad should have in the transition.

It is also due to a new readiness by the United States and Saudi Arabia to hear what Iran has to say – especially about the main point of disagreement: what role Syria’s President Assad should be allowed to play in any transition.

The one thing they have in common: They all hate Iran and Russian Federation and are likely to reject any solution that strengthens their hand in Syria or doesn’t clearly lead to Assad’s departure.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced plans to step up attacks on Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq, with Defence Secretary Ashton Carter saying he expected more air strikes and even possible “direct action on the ground”.

The dynamic in the Syrian conflict shifted after Russian Federation launched its air campaign on September 30, claiming it was targeting IS fighters.

What started as an attempt by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to shoot Syria’s largest uprising into submission has devolved into a regionalized civil war that has partitioned the country into three general areas in which U.S.-designated terrorist organizations are dominant.

But the USA believes they will struggle to defend Assad for long, which is why they have been forced to engage diplomatically. More than 250,000 people have been killed and more than 11 million people – half the country’s population – have been uprooted from their homes.