KABUL: (Middle East Press) US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday the next round of talks on the Syrian crisis will be held in New York later this month.
“The governments involved are going to meet later in this month in New York in order to continue to move this process forward,” Kerry said in a speech to the Brookings Institution in Washington.
“Our goal is to facilitate a transition that all parties have stated that they support,” he added.
He also criticized Russia for supporting the Syrian president and insisted the ultimate solution to the crisis must include the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.
Last month, Russia, the United States and powers from Europe and the Middle East met in Vienna, Austria for a second round of talks and outlined a plan for a political process in Syria leading to elections within two years.
The participants agreed on respecting Syria’s national unity and sovereignty as well as elimination of terrorist groups operating inside the country. However, they remained at loggerheads over the role of President Assad in any future setup.
