MADRID (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the last round of international meetings on a Syria settlement took place in Vienna. The mediators agreed that formal talks between the Syrian government and the opposition must take place by January, with a view to have presidential elections in the country within 18 months.
"If we want peace, then we should look for understanding with the Syrian president at least during the transitional period," Garcia-Margallo told Spain's national broadcaster, TVE.
The foreign minister added that the struggle against the Islamic State militant group was the most essential issue in the Middle East at the moment and it should be solved despite the existing political differences between the parties to the international talks on Syria.
The fate of Assad has been a stumbling block in the Syrian peace talks, with the United States and its allies insisting he must step down, and Russia saying it is for the people of Syria to decide on his future.
