Kerry: Next Syria meeting depends on ‘flow of events’

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the next high-level diplomatic meeting on Syria, which is planned for New York later this month, depends on the “flow of events” over the coming week.

Speaking after meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of a global climate conference, Kerry said Tuesday he hoped to have the meeting as scheduled on December 18. But he said it would depend on the results of a Saudi-led gathering of Syrian opposition figures who are trying to work out a unified position and delegation for UN-sponsored peace talks.

Those talks are to be accompanied by a ceasefire between the government and moderates. Both Kerry and Ban said it was important for the truce to take effect as soon as possible.

However, Russia — a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad — said that a failure by participants to make progress on lists of rebel groups considered “terrorists” and who should represent the opposition in talks meant that it was “premature” to announce talks for that date.

“Not having a collective understanding of who in Syria is a terrorist and who is an opposition member, it is impossible to hold talks on the internal Syrian political process or on such an important and urgent matter as the ceasefire,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We don’t need to hold a meeting just for the sake of meeting.”

Diplomats from 17 countries have held two meetings in Vienna to agree on a roadmap to end the nearly five-year war in Syria that has left 250,000 dead and triggered a refugee crisis in Europe.

The international talks bringing together for the first time key players Russia, the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia mark the most significant push to date for a settlement.

There had been concerns a row between Russia and Turkey over the downing of a Russian fighter plane could have jeopardized the process, but Ban’s announcement had been seen as a sign that peace talks were still on track.

At the last meeting on November 14, countries agreed on a path to elections in 18 months and a political transition within six months.

Major differences remain between the powers at the Vienna table over the fate of Assad, with Russia and Iran refusing to support Western calls for him to step down.