#Turkey dismisses any #Syria plan with Assad in place

John Kerry, US secretary of state, said the resolution aims to install a transitional government within the first six months, paving the way for elections within the next 18 months.

The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution endorsing a peace plan set out during three rounds of global talks to foster an end to the Syria civil war.

Resolution No. 2254 affirms that the Syrians are the only ones who determine the future of their country without any foreign intervention, and the terrorist organizations are out of any political process.

The resolution passed at the United Nations in NY on Friday foresees talks between the Syrian government and opposition in early January.

The war has killed more than 300,000 people according to some estimates, and sent millions of Syrians fleeing for neighbouring countries and Europe, giving rise to the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

O’Malley emphasized the importance of a political process in Syria, expressing hope that it would be possible to “springboard off of this new United Nations resolution”.

The Russian army has not yet used all its capabilities in Syria so far, and it may use “more military means” if necessary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, as reported by local Russian media.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad with his wife in a church on December 19, 2015.

Kerry said Assad had “lost the ability to unite the country” but he also said that demanding Assad’s immediate departure was “prolonging the war”.

But Washington and Moscow remain split over the fate of Assad and which groups fighting in Syria should be designated “terrorists” and therefore excluded from negotiations.

It also calls on the International Team for the Support of Syria to use its influence to reach those goals and demands full implementation of the resolutions: 2139 in 2014, 2165 in 2014, and 2191 in 2014 and other relevant decisions.

Mr Hammond aknowledged that the process would be “messy”, but said it was important to “use all the forces available to support the integrity of the Syrian state and drive out Daesh”. This would include, but may not be limited to, the Islamic State group and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front.

Amir Abdollahian said Iran would work with Russia, Oman, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and France to prepare a list of extremist groups it wants to see banned from talks.

Those around the table included the United States, key European nations and Saudi Arabia, who support the Syrian opposition, and the Assad government’s top allies, Russian Federation and Iran.

Wang noted the “severe threat posed by global terrorism”, a reference to the Islamic State group, which has exploited the chaos to seize large parts of Syria.