U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria say an international conference to set up a Syrian transitional government must be organized urgently and held as soon as possible.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria say an international conference to set up a Syrian transitional government must be organized urgently and held as soon as possible.
After talks Monday in London with Lakhdar Brahimi, Kerry said: "It is clear that in implementing Geneva I, which is the only purpose for having a Geneva conference now, that there has to be a transition government." He also called for a new government in Syria.
"There has to be a new governing entity in Syria in order to permit the possibility of peace."
The U.S. official added that it was imperative to get the so-called "Geneva II" conference organized by a mid-November target the United Nations has set.
Kerry and envoy Lakhdar Brahimi spoke to reporters at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Britain.
“There can be, there will be, a political solution if everyone gets together and works for it,” Brahimi said, stating a precise date for the peace talks must be set "very soon."
A key opposition group, the Syrian National Council, said Sunday it would not take part and criticized the international community's response towards the fighting.