US President Barack Obama said yesterday that there could not be peace in Syria without the withdrawal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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It marked a rare show of unity in the global community to tackle a conflict that has already killed more than a quarter of a million people. De Mistura said invitations to the talks will go out in January, at least. “It will be complicated”.
“We are under no illusions about the obstacles that exist”, Kerry said.
The resolution, which passed 15-0, seeks a ceasefire in Syria.
Peace and stability in Syria are only possible if Bashar al-Assad leaves the political scene, the Turkish Foreign Minister said Saturday, APA reports quoting Anadolu agency.
He explained the strategy gave Syrians a “real alternative… between war and peace”. He sharply disputed the notion that the agreement deferred a decision on Mr Assad’s fate, saying it put a time frame on what needs to happen next.
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.
The resolution has a schedule for changing the political situation in Syria.
Lavrov said that any “preconditions” for the fight against terrorism are unacceptable.
Any sign of diplomatic progress in the Middle East is welcome, both in Syria and elsewhere (on December 17th Libya’s rival governments in the east and west of the country, at war for well over a year, signed a UN-sponsored agreement to form a national-unity government).
The resolution urges United Nations member states to support cease-fire efforts and end attacks on civilians and for all parties to allow access for humanitarian aid. This means that airstrikes by Russia, France and the U.S.-led coalition apparently would not be affected, nor would military action by the extremists.
The Syrian government has acknowledged in private discussions with the State Department that it is holding one of the Americans, the officials said.
The resolution expresses its support for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the United Nations. The strikes are focused on more moderate forces fighting Assad in areas where the Islamic State group has little or no presence.
But an increasingly bloodied Russian Federation – now a target of ISIS – and growing US urgency in resolving the 5-year-old conflict whose chaos only strengthens the terror group, seems to provide some common ground for finding a resolution to the conflict.
On Friday U.N. Security Council members unanimously approved a U.N. resolution endorsing a peace process for Syria.
He emphasized that victory over the Islamic State group, also known by the Arabic acronym Daesh, must pass through a peaceful settlement in the broader Syrian civil war.
Talks are expected to begin in January, although several major questions remain, such as which opposition leaders should be invited to the negotiating table.
Britain remains insistent that Assad can remain in place temporarily as part of a transitional administration, but cannot have a long-term role in government.
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The joint United States and Russian initiative foresees talks between the rebels and the regime. All of it within 18 months.
