World powers in Vienna for talks on Syria’s political future are reacting to Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris that left scores of people dead or wounded.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the attacks show the necessity of coordinating in the fight against terrorism.
“One of the goals of the Vienna meeting is to see concretely how we can strengthen the international fight against Daesh,” said Fabius, using another term for the Islamic State group as he headed into talks here Saturday.
IS has claimed responsibility for the multiple attacks that authorities say killed at least 127 people and wounded roughly 200 more.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was agreement that attacks such as those in Paris and Beirut, as well as events in Iraq, were the most “vile, horrendous, outrageous unacceptable acts on the planet.” He said the incidents would “stiffen” the resolve of world powers to fight back.
He commented at a bilateral meeting in Vienna, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there should be “no tolerance” for terrorist acts. Other officials in Vienna, including Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, reacted to the attacks.
Representatives from 16 countries plus the U, EU and Arab League have gathered in Vienna for a second round of talks on establishing a framework for a political resolution to Syria’s prolonged and costly civil war.
The State Department said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javid Zarif was expected to join talks on Saturday. Earlier, Iran said a deputy foreign minister would be attending.
World powers try to bridge gaps
The United States and other world powers will seek to bridge gaps with Iran and Russia, supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Vienna talks are expected to focus on identifying Syria’s moderate opposition groups, as well as those that are considered terrorist entities.
“Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Minister Zarif and I and others agreed to disagree,” said Kerry, as the earlier talks wrapped up October 30.
The U.S. says the Syrian leader must step down if there is to be any political resolution aimed at ending the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin weighed in on the issue Friday, saying the Syrians alone will have to decide on Assad’s future. His comments were reported by Russian and Turkish news agencies.
After Kerry arrived in Vienna late Friday, he held bilateral talks with the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and foreign ministers from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Asked if the world powers could agree on which Syrian opposition groups could join the political transition talks, Saudi Foreign Minister Jubier smiled and said, “We will find out tomorrow.”
Mixed expectations
Hesitant, and sometimes openly pessimistic, views about the chance of progress in Vienna also were voiced by analysts.
“So this meeting is going to accomplish exactly what?” asked Anthony Cordesman, a defense and security scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Even if world powers can reach an accord, Cordesman added, “What legitimacy would that agreement have in terms of the views of these [opposition] factions within Syria?”
Nevertheless, world powers are motivated to make progress, said Perry Cammack, a Middle East analyst at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“The fact that both Washington and Moscow are anxious for an agreement,” he said, “gives us some basis at least for discussions.”
However, Cammack added that he does not expect the negotiators’ hope for agreement to translate into quick political results in Damascus.
Kerry traveled to Vienna from Tunis, his first stop after leaving Washington Thursday. The top U.S. diplomat and his aides took part in a round of strategic dialogue talks with top Tunisian officials.
After Vienna, Kerry is due to travel to Turkey, where he will join President Barack Obama at a summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
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