Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 30
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran has stressed that only the Syrian people could decide on President Bashar al-Assad's future.
Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that participants in the Vienna meeting agreed on a joint statement, adding that "as a result of our efforts, they agreed not to include a timetable for departure of Assad in the final statement", Fars news agency reported on October 31.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had proposed a calendar of from four to six months for Assad's departure and 18 months to hold new elections, an idea that was quickly rejected by Russia and Iran.
The most important result was the attention to governance and sovereignty in Syria, Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that parties came to the conclusion that only the Syrian people could decide on their fate and future.
Fighting with terrorism was emphasized in the joint statement as well, he noted.