World leaders have laid out a new diplomatic process they hope will help end Syria's civil war, but they continue to differ on the fate of President Bashar al-Assad.
Talks in Vienna involved Iran, Syria's ally, for the first time.
Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign affairs chief, said there were grounds to start a UN-led peace process.
The talks comes as activists say a Syrian government attack on a Damascus suburb left at least 57 people dead.
The meeting sought to close the gap between the US and its allies, who support the rebels, and the key foreign allies of the Syrian government, Russia and Iran.
At the end of the meeting, those in attendance said in a statement they had agreed on a number of points, including:
"credible, inclusive, non-sectarian governance" followed by a new constitution
new elections that involve all Syrians, including members of the diaspora and of all ethnicities
improved access to humanitarian aid for Syrians in and outside the country
The four-year-old war in Syria, which began with an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, has left 250,000 people dead and forced half the country's population - or 11 million people - from their homes.
Russia and Iran have recently stepped up their military involvement in the conflict, backing forces loyal to Mr Assad.
But the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations have long insisted that Mr Assad cannot play a long-term role in Syria's future.
"The time has come to stop the bleeding and start the building," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Mr Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said they continued to disagree on the fate of Mr Assad.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Iran, too, did not agree that the Syrian leader had no role to play in his country's future.
More talks will be held within two weeks.
"This meeting was definitely not an easy one," said Ms Mogherini, "but for sure an historic one as we had, for the first time, all the actors around the table and I would say a very constructive atmosphere."
BBC
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