Representatives from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, the European Union, and other Arab states, also attended.
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“If all parties show willingness during negotiations for the de-escalation of the crisis in Syria and make their contributions, then this can be a first step towards a political solution to the Syrian conflict”, Steinmeier said ahead of the talks. State institutions in the country must remain intact, while the rights of all Syrians must be protected, irrespective of their ethnicity of religious beliefs.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the ceasefire was only discussed in general terms, and no specific dates were set.
That Tehran’s boots are now followed by diplomats round the global table is a major move forward, according to a Syrian analyst in exile whom we talked to in Vienna.
The YPG was accused of war crimes in a recent report by Amnesty global, which documented allegations that the group forcibly displaced Arabs and Turkmen and burned down villages perceived as cooperating with its opponents. The group has denied the allegations and the State Department says it is looking into them. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC) said government forces fired more than 11 missiles at a market, killing 57 people, though the LCC said at least 40 died.
The most consequential dispute – determining when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might relinquish power – was left unresolved.
The talks in Vienna brought together 17 countries with starkly different views of Syria’s conflict.
As expected no significant progress was made on the contentious question of Bashar Al-Assad’s involvement in a transitional government, which is opposed by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “Russian Federation is convinced that the Syrian people themselves should address the issue in context of the political process”, Lavrov told a news conference in Vienna.
The United Nations was represented by the special envoy for Syria, Mr Staffan de Mistura.
This assistance was announced a day after the United States revealed that is sending dozens of special ops forces to Syria to assist forces fighting the Islamic State group.
Amir-Abdollahian further noted, “the U.S. raised a plan on Thursday night while Russian Federation, in turn, offered a written plan for overcoming the political crisis in Syria”. And they have to find a way to co-operate to help defeat the Islamic State. “However, Washington is refusing to inform us of the locations of the terrorists and where the opposition is based”, Lavrov told state broadcaster Rossiya on Saturday.
With Moscow fighting on Assad’s behalf, Western countries that have called for his removal from power appear to have accepted that he can not be forced out on the battlefield.
On Friday, USA media reported the Obama administration will deploy up to 50 commandos to northern Syria.
The Minister was confident that the principles formulated at the Vienna meeting will launch serious efforts, and that all participants were open to finding middle-ground solutions, hoping that this openness will manifest in upcoming meetings will be held after two weeks.
“There is a pause being put in place, while we focus more on the equipping side of those groups that are in Syria now and have proven competent against ISIL (Daesh)”, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing earlier this month, as quoted in the RT report. The United States has been carrying out airstrikes in both countries as part of an global coalition, but has been reluctant to send in ground forces.
Washington’s strategy in Syria has shifted from trying to train fighters outside the country to supplying groups headed by U.S.-vetted commanders.
“There will be no political settlement of the war in Syria without Iran”, said Daniel Serwer, a professor of conflict management at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
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“There are now moderate opposition forces that are 45 miles (72km) outside Raqqa”.
