(VOworld) – US Secretary of State John Kerry on November 14 said countries attended the international conference on Syria in Vienna, Austria, agreed on enhanced efforts to stop the Syrian conflict.

(From left) UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at an international conference on Syria in Vienna on Nov 14, 2015. (Photo: EPA)

 
In a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, Kerry said they agreed to open negotiations between the government and the opposition before January, 2016, and organize elections within 18 months.
He said 5 Permanent Members of the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to support a ceasefire in Syria. But they haven’t agreed on the future of President Bashar al-Assad.
The diplomats will meet next January to assess efforts towards a ceasefire and discuss a political transition in Syria.