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                 US Hopeful Syria Talks Will Be Held Next Week

   by VOA News

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he is hopeful talks will be
   held next week on ending the war in Syria.

   Speaking after a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in
   Paris, Kerry said the talks, scheduled for December 18 in New York,
   will depend on events in the coming week, including a Saudi-led
   conference of the Syrian opposition.

   Saudi Arabia has taken the lead at bringing together Syrian groups
   opposed to both President Bashar al-Assad and IS militants.

   Last month, at Syria talks in Vienna, representatives of world powers,
   including the United States, Russia, Iran and the United Nations, laid
   out a broad plan for a political transition.  It includes bringing
   Syria government and opposition groups into U.N.-mediated talks by
   January 1.

   The world powers also voiced support for establishing a credible,
   inclusive government in Syria within six months and free and fair
   elections within 18 months.

   The plan also includes a process aimed at leading to an agreement on
   which elements of the Syrian opposition are terrorists.
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   ext-week/3093528.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-hopeful-syria-talks-will-be-held-next-week/3093528.html