Germany's foreign minister said Wednesday he did not expect international talks in Vienna to yield a breakthrough on ending the war in Syria, but believes it could be the first step on the road to a political solution, AFP reports.
"I don't expect there to be a major breakthrough, the situation in the conflict zone is still too heated and the differences in the positions too wide," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier ahead of talks in the Austrian capital on Friday.
But the discussions could "bring us closer to the road towards a political solution," he said.