During the past few months we have held numerous talks in Vienna and New York with the stakeholders in the region and in Syria with the aim of launching a negotiation process between the Syrian Government and the opposition. In Riyadh and elsewhere important preparatory steps have been taken towards this goal. Now, on the final stretch before the start of negotiations, we must not relax the pressure on the conflict parties. We now need once again a concerted effort by the international community to help UN Special Envoy de Mistura remove the remaining obstacles and clarify unresolved issues.

We must not squander the opportunity presented in Vienna to finally find a way to begin work on a political solution for Syria.