Vienna talks offer 'most promising opportunity' for Syria's future: Kerry

He is expected to meet with his counterparts from a dozen countries there for a series of bilateral and multilateral talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that this week's international talks on Syria in Vienna will be the best chance to save the war-torn country, Xinhua reported.

"While finding a way forward on Syria will not be easy, it's not going to be automatic, (but) it is the most promising opportunity for a political opening we have seen," he said during a speech on America's Middle East policy.

"The challenge that we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell," Kerry told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

 

He also cited some statistics to highlight urgency to end the war on Syria: one in 20 Syrians killed or wounded; one in five now refugees; average life expectancy down 20 years.

Kerry is heading to Vienna on Wednesday for a new round of talks on solving the Syria crisis.

The Secretary is expected to meet with his counterparts from a dozen countries there for a series of bilateral and multilateral talks on Thursday and Friday.