Earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said: “Al-Assad will leave with no doubt, either by a political solution, which can be easier for all, or he will leave through a military solution because he is no longer wanted by the Syrian people”.
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Asked whether a planned December 18 global meeting on the Syria conflict would go ahead in New York, Kerry said: “We’ll have to see”.
Given its longstanding opposition to Assad, Saudi Arabia s hosting of the talks came under fire, with Tehran saying the meeting was in breach of declarations made in the worldwide peace talks.
The Riyadh conference “took place because there was enormous pressure on the opposition to unite before talks that will happen because they’ve been jointly decided by the United States and Russia”, said Syria specialist Thomas Pierret from the University of Edinburgh.
Kerry welcomed the “positive outcome” of the Riyadh meeting.
At one point on Friday, Putin appeared to hold out an olive branch to the West, making what appeared to be Russia’s first explicit statement of support for rebels opposed to Assad in the fight against Islamic State.
“It is not in line with the Vienna talks”, Amirabdollahian said.
“Our national and religious duties oblige our withdrawal from the conference because the revolutionary groups were not given their real representation”, the group said in a statement.
The Vienna process envisages formal talks between the Syrian government and the opposition by January.
More than 100 representatives from Syria’s political and armed factions attended the meeting in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the Syrian opposition meeting and playing a role in moderating the discussions, is a main backer of the rebels along with Turkey and Western countries, while Iran and Russian Federation support Assad.
The spokesman hoped that such developments could lead to a real political settlement that opens the door for realizing stability, achieving the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and eliminate terrorism.
Although there was agreement on a framework for negotiation, the withdrawal of Ahrar al-Sham, whose founders are linked to al-Qaida, underscored the difficulties that lie ahead as groups with competing ideologies try to forge a common vision for the future.
Kurdish fighters were also excluded and at parallel talks in Syria this week the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab coalition fighting IS in northern Syria, announced the creation of a political wing called the Syrian Democratic Council (SDF).
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday it was up to the Syrian people to discuss the fate of President Assad. “For us, in Syria, everyone who holds a machinegun is a terrorist”.
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Syria’s almost five-year-old conflict has left more than 250,000 dead and forced millions from their homes.
