US says diplomats to resume talks on Syria next week

LONDON – The U.S. says world powers working to promote a resolution to Syria's civil war will resume talks next week in Vienna.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the 17-member International Syria Support Group will meet on May 17. The group is co-chaired by the U.S. and Russia but includes Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and others.

Kerry says indirect peace talks between the Syrian opposition and President Bashar Assad's government will likely resume "some days" after the Vienna meeting. Those U.N.-led talks have been stalled since the opposition suspended participation last month in protest.

Kerry says the Vienna talks aim to build on a U.S.-Russia agreement announced Monday to try to restore a nationwide cease-fire. He says they'll discuss the truce's duration and enforcement, plus the political process.