France will host a meeting on the Syria crisis with Western and Arab allies later on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
The “working dinner” at the French foreign ministry will include “the main partners engaged with France in dealing with the Syrian crisis: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, Germany, the United States, Italy and Britain,” Fabius said in a statement.
“They will discuss the means to bring about a political transition towards a united and democratic Syria, respectful of all communities, while also reinforcing our fight against terrorism,” he added.
Tuesday’s meeting will feature mainly lower-rung officials, with the United States sending its deputy secretary of state Anthony Blinken in the place of his boss, John Kerry.
Britain said it was “unlikely” that Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond would take part.
A Russian spokesman said those four countries were working on organizing another possible meeting this Friday in Vienna.
Reuters
