US Hopeful Syria Talks Will Be Held Next Week

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he is hopeful talks will be held next week on ending the war in Syria.

Speaking after a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Paris, Kerry said the talks, scheduled for December 18 in New York, will depend on events in the coming week, including a Saudi-led conference of the Syrian opposition.

Saudi Arabia has taken the lead at bringing together Syrian groups opposed to both President Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State militants.

Last month, at Syria talks in Vienna, representatives of world powers, including the United States, Russia, Iran and the United Nations, laid out a broad plan for a political transition.

It would include bringing Syrian government and opposition groups into U.N.-mediated talks by January 1.

The world powers also voiced support for establishing a credible, inclusive government in Syria within six months, and free and fair elections within 18 months. 

The plan also would include a process aimed at leading to an agreement on which elements of the Syrian opposition are terrorists.
 voanews.com
8/12/15