International talks on Syria’s future are set to begin Thursday in Vienna, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calling the summit the “most promising” opportunity in years to end the country’s four and a-half years of “nonstop horror.”
Senior diplomats from the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will participate in the informal talks Thursday. On Friday, the summit will expand to include representatives from other nations, including Iran, one of Syria’s top international backers.
The talks notably will not include members of either the Syrian government or the main groups trying to overthrow it. Nonetheless, Kerry on Wednesday expressed optimism that the talks appear to be the best way to reach an eventual peace. “While finding a way forward on Syria will not be easy — it’s not going to be automatic — it is the most promising opportunity for a political opening we have seen,” Kerry said, speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
