Russia, Jordan to coordinate actions on Syria

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opened talks in Vienna on Friday with his Russian, Saudi and Turkish counterparts aimed at reviving a moribund effort to end Syria's civil war.

But he underlined that talks will continue possibly with the involvement of other regional actors.

He did not name the countries, which could be involved in the dialogue.

"We discussed the situation in Syria and how to find apeaceful solution for the conflict that guarantees Syria's future and leads to a transitional period that does not include Bashar al-Assad", Mr Jubeir said.

Syrian President Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Putin.

Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir pose for a photo upon arrival for a meeting to discuss the Syrian conflict in Vienna.

Kerry and Lavrov also are meeting with representatives from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday, Kerry said that the countries with a vested interest in resolving Syria's civil war share the "unified principles" that Syria should not be broken up, must remain secular, and Syrians should choose their future leader.

On Monday, Russian bombing in Syria's Latakia province reportedly killed a rebel commander and four others in the First Coastal Division, which is fighting under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army against the Assad regime, as well as at least 15 civilians. Yet that would most probably require a long military campaign, especially given that-unlike Chechnya-Syria's war is sectarian and the opposition is supported by external powers.

The bombing runs originating from Hemeimeem air base in Assad's coastal stronghold of Latakia province are winning praise for Putin from displaced Syrians who are living in a camp near the provincial capital.

"We agree on criticality of keeping together all of the institutions of the government and of engaging in a political process, because everybody has agreed there is no military solution, but engaging in a political process that brings about the implementation of the Geneva communiqué", he said.

The Russian and Jordanian militaries, meanwhile, have agreed to coordinate actions on Syria via a special working mechanism in Amman, Lavrov was quoted as saying by Rossiya-24 TV channel out of Vienna.

Mr Assad's fate remains a major stumbling block for ending the conflict in Syria.

Russia's top diplomat also said Moscow would back talks between al-Assad's government and the "full spectrum" of the Syrian opposition. "I would like to know what the difference is", he said from the Russian resort city of Sochi on Thursday.

"One thing stands in the way of being able to rapidly move to implement that, and it's a person called Assad - Bashar Assad", he told reporters before he held talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Western countries have accused Russian Federation of targeting moderate opposition groups.

Kerry did not rule out a possibility of inviting Iran to take part in the negotiations on Syria, conceding that Tehran could "eventually" be asked to join the talks, according to Bloomberg. "Neither our American or European colleagues are helping us" in identifying moderate forces to work with.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday that a genuine campaign against terrorism as well as pursuing a political process in Syria are also key to the resolution of the crisis.