(VOVworld) - US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Vienna for the latest round of negotiations on the conflict in Syria on Saturday, said the State Department said on Monday. Neither representatives from the Syrian opposition nor President Bashar Al-Assad's regime are expected to attend at this stage of the dialogue, officials said. Participants in the talks will include representatives from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement on the Iran talks deal at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria Tuesday July 14, 2015.  (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that the talks should focus on identifying terrorist groups and patriotic rebel groups instead of pressuring President al-Assad to resign. Iran also shared this view as it agreed to join the next round of talks in Vienna.