Kerry says ceasefire in Syria potentially weeks away
PARIS - A ceasefire between Syria's government and opposition could be just weeks away from reality, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday as he visited Paris to show solidarity with France after last week's attacks.
Speaking to reporters at the residence of the US ambassador to France, Kerry said the ceasefire envisioned by the political process agreed upon in Vienna on Saturday would exponentially help efforts to fight the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks that killed 129 people, as well as end the drawn-out Syrian conflict, which has gone on for over four years.
"That's a gigantic step," Kerry said. "If we can get that done, that opens up the aperture for a whole bunch of things. We're weeks away conceivably from the possibility of a big transition for Syria, and I don't think enough people necessarily notice that. But that's the reality."
"We are not talking about months, we are talking about weeks hopefully," he said.
