However, representatives of the current Syrian government weren’t present at the meeting and subsequently no working solution came out of it.
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More than 250,000 people have been killed in the Syrian war.
Expectations of progress at Vienna were already low, but France and Britain are both opposed to the Russian proposals, which they say are meant to create the impression of a fresh initiative while offering nothing substantially new, perhaps apart from limited confidence-building measures.
The Syria resolution would condemn the presence in Syria of “all foreign terrorist fighters … and foreign forces fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime, particularly the al Quds Brigades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (of Iran) and militia groups, such as Hezbollah”.
Also well documented is the fact Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey have supported ISIS.
While Assad’s future is still a central and divisive issue at the talks, negotiators have tried to build cohesion by focusing on the need to stop Islamic State.
Zarif, whose attendance at a previous round marked a more prominent diplomatic role for Iran after the nuclear deal, won’t be in Vienna this time, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Russia, which with Iran has been Mr Assad’s top ally during the civil war, has denied any document is being prepared before global peace talks in Vienna this week.
The plan was contained in a document entitled “approach to the settlement of the Syrian crisis” that called for setting up a constitutional commission made up of members of “domestic and outside opposition” groups. The group would draft a new constitution, which would be put to a referendum ahead of a presidential election.
Diplomats said Saudi Arabia in particular is insisting on a clear commitment from Iran and Russian Federation that Assad will step down. It also says that the United Nations should “exclude” operations against ISIS “and other terrorist groups” from a Syrian ceasefire.
The language is aimed at Russian Federation, which has been bombing opposition forces in Syria for over a month.
The development came as Russian Federation launched its first airstrikes against Takfiri terrorists in Syria on September 30 at the request of the Damascus government.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the talks were organized to be “very inclusive about participation”.
“According to reports, militants now control around 40 percent of Iraqi territory and 50 percent of Syrian territory”, said Yevgeny Sysoyev, the deputy leader of Russia’s FSB security services, which was formerly the infamous KGB during the soviet-era.
Above all, it has signalled that Moscow will not allow the Syrian government to fall.
And a further point – that the end result must ensure the “secular and democratic character” of the country – rams it home. While the USA hasn’t outlined its approach to the latest meeting, Kerry is scheduled to do so in a speech in Washington on Thursday.
It is obvious that supporting terrorist groups formed on the basis of radical Islamism is the wrong move, but, nevertheless, the USA continues doing this because a significant part of the political elite of the country is interested in this. “It’s going to be a long process”.
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— Tirone reported from Vienna, Yoon from NY.
