WASHINGTON — Amid a growing consensus that ending Syria’s civil war is a critical component of the international effort to combat the so-called Islamic State (IS), US President Barack Obama said there has been modest progress at international talks in Vienna to chart a diplomatic way toward ending Syria’s civil war. But he warned that the diplomatic path ahead — comprised of parallel efforts to advance a Syrian political track while working toward a cease-fire — will be extremely difficult, despite newfound international resolve and urgency following the terrorist attacks in Paris that are believed to have been directed by IS militants in Syria.
“We’ve begun to see some modest progress on the diplomatic front,” Obama told a press conference at the G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 16.
