Kremlin says Paris attack shows Russian Federation, West must unite on Syria

O ne day after the attacks in Paris, representatives from world powers said Syria should hold elections within 18 months as part of a political transition in the war-torn country.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said delegates had agreed that a transition government in Syria should be set up in six months and elections held in 18 months.

The USA and other Gulf countries have maintained their stand that Assad will have to leave power for a legitimate government to be established in Syria.

Now in its 5th year, the war has killed more than 250,000 people.

“We are witnessing a kind of medieval and modern fascism at the same time, which has no regard for life, which seeks to destroy and create chaos, disorder and fear”, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov before the peace talks began.

“But we are relying on the political process itself, led by Syrians, which it will be going forward, and the Syrians negotiating with Syrians; that that can help bring a close to this bad chapter”.

“It is clear, that to effectively fight this evil we need real joint efforts by the entire global community”, Putin said in a statement, a sentiment echoed by his prime minister and defence minister.

” We have reiterated that the future of Syria will be decided by Syrian people alone”, said Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.

Any ceasefire agreed upon in Vienna would not cover Islamic State, or “Daesh”, Kerry said, as well as the al-Nusra Front- a proxy organization of al Qaeda- or any other group classified as a terrorist organization.

Kerry earlier said that the attacks were an “assault on our common humanity”, and promised that the violence had strengthened the group’s resolve to find solutions to end Syria’s war.

The crux issue of the role of Assad remained unsolved. Therein may lie the problem in the plan: Moscow considers all groups battling Assad to be terrorist groups.

He also suggested any arrangements for political transitions in Syria should be based on the Geneva communique and conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

Western and Arab countries want him out of the way in order to allow a transitional government to unite the country behind a reconciliation process and to defeat IS.

Russian Federation has for weeks been carrying out air strikes in Syria in support of Assad’s forces.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong speaks to media upon his arrival at the site of the second Vienna meeting on the Syria crisis in Vienna, Austria, on October 14.

“Without any guarantees over the fate of Assad, the prosecution of war crimes, or opposition participation in a future government, it’s hard to see how the opposition could accept this framework”, Barrett told Al Jazeera.

The next meeting on Syria is expected in about a month.

His comments came after France declared a state of emergency and three days of mourning after coordinated attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Paris killed at least 128 people late on Friday evening.