US and Russia bridge gaps ahead of Syria round table Friday

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday night: “The US and our partners are not seeking so-called regime change in Damascus.” He said this after talks with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Kerry added that the focus now is "not on our differences about what can or cannot be done immediately about Assad." Rather, it is on facilitating a peace process in which "Syrians will be making decisions for the future of Syria."
The Obama administration has evidently advanced towards the Russian position inorder to clear the way for progress at the major international conference on Syria taking place on Friday in New York. The composition of the Syrian opposition delegation has also been in dispute with Moscow challenging  the Western definition of terrorists in the context of the Syrian war.