Syria conflict: Powers backing rivals meet in Vienna
The meeting in Vienna will seek to close the gap between the US and its allies, who support the rebels, and the key foreign allies of the Syrian government, Russia and Iran. It is the first time Iran has been involved in the diplomacy. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged participants to show flexibility" and "global leadership". The four-year-old war in Syria, which began with an uprising against Mr Assad, has left 250,000 people dead and forced half the country's population - or 11 million people - from their homes. Russia and Iran have recently stepped up their military involvement in the conflict, backing forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations have long insisted that he cannot play a long-term role in Syria's future. "He will go either through a political process or he will be removed by force," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the BBC ahead of the talks. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that other powers had realised that there was no way reaching "a reasonable solution" to the Syrian conflict without involving Tehran.
Foreign ministers held informal talks in Vienna on Thursday, with the substantive discussions scheduled for Friday. US Secretary of State John Kerry also met Mr Zarif on Thursday, as well as the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. 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. A Western diplomat called the Vienna talks "embryonic", while another said that simply keeping opposing sides from walking out would count as success. Read more on BBC News
