Syria war: Powers meet to push ceasefire plan

World powers are meeting in New York, USA to try to move forward a tentative plan to bring about a ceasefire in Syria. Countries on both sides of the conflict are seeking to narrow considerable gaps which stand in the way of progress. These include the fate of Syria’s president, which groups could join talks […]

World powers are meeting in New York, USA to try to move forward a tentative plan to bring about a ceasefire in Syria.
Countries on both sides of the conflict are seeking to narrow considerable gaps which stand in the way of progress.
These include the fate of Syria’s president, which groups could join talks with the regime, and which should be classed as terrorists.
The UN Security Council is expected to later vote on a text backing the broad plan for a truce and negotiations.
It follows a meeting of the so-called International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) which met in Vienna in November and agreed on the parameters of a political plan for the war-torn country.
There, 19 countries, including Syria’s allies Russia and Iran, set a target of 1 January for the start of peace talks between the regime and the opposition.
The delegates signed a UN statement calling for a ceasefire to be agreed by 14 May 2016 and for free elections to be held a year later.
The BBC in New York says it is the most concrete Syria peace plan yet, with a specific timetable. It is a broad outline that marks the minimum consensus of countries with a stake in the conflict.
Building on the diplomatic momentum, Saudi Arabia, a staunch foe of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, held a meeting earlier this month of dozens of disparate rebel and Syria opposition groups to try to forge a common approach to possible peace talks.
They agreed to a programme of six months of negotiations followed by the formation of a transitional body from which President Assad and his aides would be excluded.
However, Russia, Iran and Syria dismissed the meeting, saying the groups were unrepresentative and unacceptable.
There are still significant areas of disagreement between the two sides in the war and their backers.
One of the major sticking points is which rebel groups should be considered terrorist outfits and consequently excluded from any talks or ceasefire. Jordan has been tasked with drawing up a list.
The Syrian war, which is heading towards its fifth year, has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced nearly 12 million, the UN says.