(English) Syria conflict: John Kerry seeks end to civil war ‘hell’

The US is intensifying diplomatic efforts to end the “hell” of Syria’s civil war even as it increases support for moderate rebels, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.

Mr Kerry is travelling to Vienna for talks with foreign ministers on ending the four-and-a-half year conflict.

Iran is for the first time taking part in such talks, which will also include Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Russia and Iran both support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations insist he cannot play any long-term role in the country’s future.

Foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Lebanon and the EU have also confirmed they will attend the meeting, and other Middle Eastern powers are also expected.
“The challenge that we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell,” Mr Kerry said in a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank in Washington DC.

“While finding a way forward on Syria will not be easy… it is the most promising opportunity for a political opening we have seen.”

He added: “At the end of the day, nothing would do more to bolster the fight against Daesh [the Islamic State militant group] than a political transition that sidelines Assad so that we can unite more of the country against extremism.”

But in his speech, Mr Kerry stressed that the US and Russia also shared “common ground”, arguing that both want “a united, secular Syria”.
Analysis: BBC Diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall

Four years into Syria’s civil war, and with Russia now conducting its own bombing campaign there separate from that of the US-led coalition, the conflict looks more dangerous than ever.

But it’s also created a new urgency to try to find a way out of the fighting.

Some of the impetus comes from Russia, keen to be seen as a major player and anxious, apparently, to keep its air strikes limited.

It’s also due to a new readiness by the United States and Saudi Arabia to hear what Iran has to say – especially about the main point of disagreement: what role Syria’s President Assad should be allowed to play in any transition.

The Saudis and most Western powers see him as an obstacle. The Russians and Iranians argue he’s a vital partner.

The test of this Vienna meeting is whether there is any movement towards a compromise.

But even without tangible progress, the very fact such a high-profile gathering is happening could mark an important step in the search for a way out of Syria’s nightmare.