France says it has worked with its allies on the details of a political transition guaranteeing the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "within a precise timetable."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius made the comments after a meeting late on October 27 in Paris that included representatives of the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Fabius said in a statement that the group also discussed "the necessity of continuing its efforts to fight" the Islamic State group in Syria while "supporting the moderate opposition, whose role in future negotiations was emphasized."
The Paris meeting did not include Assad's main backers, Russia and Iran, which are due to take part in a summit in Vienna to discuss the Syrian conflict on October 29-30.