The success of the Syria peace talks is crucial for the people of the war-torn country and for everyone in Europe, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said, in a surprise announcement at the UN on Wednesday.

Standing side by side with UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva, where negotiations are taking place, Ms Mogherini said she was present to try to “consolidate and accelerate the process.”

After meeting the delegations involved in the negotiations, the European Union official said that her main message to them was that Europe expected all parties to engage on the issue of political transition in Syria.

Here’s Daniel Johnson’s report.

Duration: 3'14"