Syria: Foreign Diplomats Set Timeline To End Civil War

November 15, 2015 | 14:04 GMT

Seventeen nations have adopted a timeline to end the Syrian civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a joint press conference in Vienna, Bloomberg reported Nov. 15. As a first step, the United Nations agreed to convene Syria's government with opposition representatives by Jan. 1. A cease-fire between Damascus and recognized opposition groups should be in place within six months, and a new constitution should be drafted within 18 months to allow elections in 2017. Diplomats also decided to place the Islamic State and al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra on a list of groups subject to military strikes even when a cease-fire is in place. Diplomats will reconvene in a month to review progress.

Searching for a Syrian Solution

In a notable breakthrough in negotiations over the weekend, the International Syria Support Group agreed during a meeting in Vienna to convene Syrian government and opposition representatives on Jan. 1, 2016, in formal negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations. The support group, made up of virtually every direct and indirect foreign state participant in the Syrian civil war, has aspired to find a solution to the destabilizing Syrian civil war, and progress has increasingly appeared to be within reach. However, serious obstacles remain that could rapidly undermine the gains the group hopes to accomplish going forward.

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Please pray for the success of these peacemaking efforts and for a ceasefire to take effect. Pray too for those who have been displaced by the ongoing conflict, especially for the millions of refugees both within and outside the nation that need humanitarian assistance and to hear the Gospel and come to Christ.