The Foreign Secretary has said a commitment by the Syrian government and opposition groups to peace talks next year is a "welcome" step forward.

The two sides have agreed to meet in Geneva in January in an attempt to end the civil war that has ravaged the country for almost three years, killing more than 100,000 people.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said the starting point for the talks was not a ceasefire but the establishment of "rules and regulations for a political transition"

Britain and other countries have said President Bashar al Assad cannot be allowed to continue in power if a "roadmap" for Syria's political future, agreed at a summit in Geneva last year, is to be implemented.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would lend its "extended and sustained" support to the opposition National Coalition, which he described as "the heart and lead" of forces fighting the Assad regime.

"A negotiated political transition in Syria is the only way to end the conflict and alleviate Syria's humanitarian crisis," he said.

news.sky.com/story/1173555/syria-foreign...welcomes-peace-talks