Neither the Syrian government nor the opposition was directly represented at the talks.
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The Vienna talks on Friday were attended by 17 countries, the European Union and United Nations, and brought face-to-face Iran, which backs President Bashar al-Assad, and Saudi Arabia, which supports insurgents fighting him. Russian Federation and Iran didn’t rule out his eventual departure.
“There are too many people who have been made to believe that the choice they have for life in Syria is between Assad or terrorism”.
“This is the first time we’ve had all the protagonists around a table together and that is quite a remarkable achievement in itself”, the Foreign Secretary said in Vienna.
Underscoring the search for a compromise, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius only said Assad should step aside “at one moment or another”. Conscious of the deep divide over Assad’s fate, they left undefined how long Assad could remain in power under that transition. The officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. But he also acknowledged that “substantial differences remain”.
The Syrian FM said that the parties’ commitment to Vienna talks is necessary for anti-terrorism efforts, “and this may lead to a feasible cease-fire in Syria” after four year and a half of war.
“I did not say that Assad has to go”.
Meanwhile, the United States White House also announced on Friday that President Barack Obama approved a plan to send up to 50 special operations troops to Syria to “advise moderate rebels”.
A recent poll carried out by France’s Le Figaro newspaper has indicated that at least 72 percent of respondents want Syrian President Bashar Assad to remain in power.
Ban Ki-moon said Saturday one person shouldn’t hold the negotiations on Syria’s future hostage and that Assad’s fate must be decided by the Syrian people.
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Clapper said Putin was “very impulsive and opportunistic” and “I personally question whether he has a few long-term strategy or whether he is being very opportunistic on a day-to-day basis”.
