But the resolution makes no mention of the most contentious issue, the future role of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
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The Security Council reiterated earlier calls for member states to suppress terrorist acts by Islamic State (IS), Al-Nusra Front and all other terrorist groups.
He said Kerry’s efforts in NY offered “an opportunity, not to turn back the clock- it’s going to be hard to completely overcome the devastation that’s happened in Syria already- but to find a political transition that maintains the Syrian state, that recognises a bunch of stakeholders inside of Syria and hopefully to initiate a ceasefire”.
“We know that Daesh can never be allowed to gain control in Syria, so we have a global imperative here to deal with a terrorist entity but also to end the civil war”, he said.
O’Malley emphasized the importance of a political process in Syria, expressing hope that it would be possible to “springboard off of this new United Nations resolution”.
Within six months, the process should establish “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance”, and set a schedule for drafting a new constitution.
The Iranian official made the remarks after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to endorse an global bid to end the almost five-year-long conflict in Syria.
The resolution also says that the truce should be carried out in parallel with the talks.
Kerry – who has “agreed to disagree” with Moscow on Assad’s fate – emphasised that victory over the Islamic State group hinges on a peaceful settlement in the broader Syrian civil war.
There is also disagreement over which opposition groups should form part of the negotiations.
Lavrov, at a joint press conference with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry and UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura, described UN Security Council resolution No. 2254 on Syria as “excellent and good”.
The Syrian conflict, which started in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and displaced almost half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or out of its borders.
During a break in yesterday’s talks, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said he had presented a document compiling the groups each country attending considered to be a “terrorist” organization.
The United States and its allies have called for Assad’s departure, while Russian Federation – a key ally of the Syrian president – insists that he should not be required to leave power as a precondition for peace talks.
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The other group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the airstrikes killed 14 people.
