Saudi minister says Iran and Russian Federation must agree to exit Syria

The United States and its regional allies have been pushing for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the past few years of turmoil in the country. The group has denied the allegations and the State Department says it is looking into them.

A senior USA official, meanwhile, says Russia’s military intervention into a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and forced 11 million from their homes will drag Moscow into a “quagmire” that will alienate Sunni Muslims.

The war in Syria began with an uprising against President Assad in 2011.

The Raqqa Front told Reuters earlier in October that us weapons were on their way. “It does, no question about it”, Carter said during a visit to Alaska.

“Overall, we have for the very first time around the table all the major actors and we have a situation of fatigue on the ground, so it could lead to a potential breakthrough”, said Karim Bitar, of the Paris-based Institute for global and Strategic Relations.

“We have no agreement on the destiny of Assad”, Lavrov told reporters as he sat next to Kerry.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the new troops will not be on a “combat mission”.

“Such grudging incrementalism is woefully inadequate to the scale of the challenge we face”, McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

But the participation by Russian Federation and Iran in the attempt could mark a new and promising phase in the diplomacy since those countries have staunchly backed Assad.

“If a ceasefire is declared, no terrorist organizations should be subjected to it”, Russia’s Foreign Minister said.

Russian Federation has conducted a campaign of air strikes in Syria since September 30, targeting enemies of Assad.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that a group of nations with opposing stakes in the Syrian war had agreed to “explore the modalities of a nationwide cease-fire” and had asked the United Nations to oversee the rewriting of the country’s constitution and then new elections.

Tehran supports the government of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, seen by the West as the cause of and primary agitator in the war. Underscoring the urgency, just as the diplomats were debating the conflict in a plush Viennese hotel, Syrian opposition reported that a government missile barrage killed more than 40 in a Damascus suburb.

Attending the talks are 19 delegations, including from Russian Federation, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Germany, France, Egypt, Italy, Great Britain, Iraq and Lebanon.

Up to now, its leaders have largely echoed Assad’s contention there is no reason for him to go after he won re-election a year ago in a vote that Western countries called a sham. Conscious of the deep divide over Assad’s fate, they left undefined how long Assad could remain in power under that transition.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius only said Assad should step aside “at one moment or another”.

A Syrian army source said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s continued support for rebels meant violence would not abate.

Officials said the 17 governments in attendance had been considering a plan that would establish a cease-fire within four to six months, followed by the formation of a transition government featuring both Assad and opposition members.