VIENNA (Sputnik) — First negotiations between the warring sides of the Syrian conflict must be held by the end of the year, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday.
"By the end of the year, January 1, first negotiations between representatives of the government and opposition must take place," Steinmeier said after an international meeting on Syria in Vienna.
The German top diplomat added the talks were necessary to "launch the process of transitional government."