UN Security Council endorses roadmap for Syria peace process

Meanwhile, Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, warned that earlier global hopes for a ceasefire by January 1 were unrealistic.

The UN security council unanimously agrees a resolution endorsing an global roadmap for a peace process in Syria.

In a rare show of global unity over the conflict, Russian Federation backed the resolution endorsing the start of “urgent” formal negotiations between President Assad’s regime and moderate opposition groups early next month.

“As a effect, our view has been that you can not bring peace to Syria, you can not get an end to the civil war unless you have a government that it is recognised as legitimate by a majority of that country”.

The Foreign Secretary met counterparts from ISSG states the US, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Paris on Monday, and said that it was the “clear intention” of Mr Kerry to seek agreement in NY on a ceasefire deal for Syria.

“There obviously remain sharp differences within the global community, especially about the future of President Assad”.

He said the resolution “should open the way to a broad anti-terrorist front”, including the Syrian government and Kurdish militias.

He says that his administration is an example of tolerance that contrasts with the behaviour of militants, including the Islamic State group that has seized large swathes of the war-torn country.

The resolution further calls for the U.N.to present the council with options for monitoring a ceasefire within one month.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, calling the United Nations discussions “difficult”, said the officials had determined that “the destiny and future of Syria is something that must be decided and carried out by the Syrian people”.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said: “I do not think that everyone who is there on the ground should be invited to participate in the talks”.

“Sunni regional powers still fear that this pragmatism perpetuates the status quo and allows Assad to stay too long during a transition period”, he added.

There is also disagreement over which opposition groups should form part of the negotiations.

The US and Arab allies remain convinced Assad must leave office as part of the process, but his allies Moscow and Tehran insist this is a decision for the Syrian people.

Any halt to hostilities would not apply to air strikes against so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups, it makes clear, amid fears they could otherwise benefit.

“President Assad in our judgement… has lost the ability, the credibility to be able to unite the country and to provide the moral credibility to be able to govern it”. “That transitional process needs to try to be achieved within the target time of six months”, Kerry said, arguing that the United Nations vote gave the plan legal force.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the talks between the Syrian government and opposition would only succeed if there were credible guarantees on the departure of Assad.