After eight hours of negotiations in Vienna on Friday, diplomats from 17 countries, the European Union and the United Nations failed to reach an agreement on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The delegations did, however, agree on the necessity of a UN-brokered ceasefire between the regime and opposition groups in Syria. The meeting included delegations from the United States, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, Britain, Lebanon and Germany, among others. While the gathering brought together an unprecedented combination of delegations – most significantly Saudi Arabia and Iran – there were no representatives from the Syrian regime or its opposition. Al-Jazeera reported that the delegates were unable to agree on which rebel groups should be deemed as “terrorists” and which should be involved in talks. The main point of contention was Assad’s date of expiry, as Russia and Iran – his two main backers – continued to insist that he must stay in power, while the Arab powers, the US and Britain all believe his departure is integral to the peace process. According to AFP, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that, while the US believes there…
