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".