Syrian legislator praises elements of international plan to end conflict

DAMASCUS, Syria – A Syrian legislator has praised parts of an incomplete international plan for ending Syria's conflict.

Omar Ossi, who heads parliament's national reconciliation committee, told The Associated Press Sunday that the plan has many points that "run in harmony" with President Bashar Assad's position that combatting "terrorism" should be a priority.

Ossi called the plan "a victory for Syrian policy and diplomacy."

Foreign ministers of 19 nations agreed in Vienna Saturday to an ambitious yet incomplete plan that sets a Jan. 1 deadline for the start of negotiations between Assad's government and opposition groups.

Neither the Syrian government nor opposition groups were present at the talks, which brought together the main foreign backers of both sides.