Meanwhile, US news network NBC broadcast an interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in which he said Washington was “managing” terrorist groups in its bid to overthrow the government and that US air strikes on his country – ostensibly targeting Islamic State – were “illegal and counterproductive”.
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US officials said no agreement with Russian Federation has been reached. “And I think he maintains that skepticism”. It is a pact Moscow long had wanted, but the Obama administration resisted.
Washington and Moscow have backed a roadmap that calls for a nationwide ceasefire and Geneva-based talks on “political transition”.
But Kerry is pressing ahead.
Referring to what he described as the “incredible carnage” in Nice, Kerry said nowhere was there a greater hotbed for terrorists than in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and US Secretary of State John Kerry reach out in the Kremlin on Thursday evening. It wasn’t clear what they would do in exchange.
“At present we are not conducting or coordinating military operations with Russian Federation, nor is it clear we will reach an agreement to do so”, the official said.
“We need a solution to this that addresses both of these problems”, a senior United States official said. That’s why the Pentagon was initially opposed to the plan. The White House and Pentagon have resisted a greater USA role.
The Washington Post, citing a draft proposal from the United States, reported that the USA and Russian Federation could set up a joint command and control centre in Jordan.
“Only those targets that both participants agree are actionable will be further developed for strikes”, the document reads.
Damascus-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said Russian Federation has never talked to him about leaving power.
Though that’s a major USA interest, it’s acknowledged that Syrian ground units would still go after the moderate opposition as it continues to battle them in a years-long civil war and even potentially civilians.
Better targeting al-Nusra is also a high US priority. The group is primarily attacking the Assad regime, which is allied with the Kremlin. “[Jabhat al-Nusra forces have] conducted offensives and they’ve led opposition groups into those offensives and that’s led to fighting back and forth”, the senior State Department official said.
The proposal would address one of the most persistent problems with efforts to enforce a ceasefire in Syria: the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syria affiliate.
At the start of the meetings Friday it was unclear if the US and Russian Federation would agree on a deal to increase military cooperation in Syria in exchange for Russian Federation using its influence to ground Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force.
The Russians would gain a critical win they have been seeking for months: intelligence about where US aircraft are operating. That is another key win for Moscow.
The first attack on the camp killed at least 123 people and injured scores more, said two USA intelligence officials. “The regime is prohibited from flying in designated areas; designated areas include areas of most concentrated Nusra presence, areas of significant Nusra presence, and areas where the opposition is dominant, with some possible Nusra presence”, the proposed “terms of reference” states. Assad has reasserted control over several areas of the country he had once lost. But beyond that, he remains publicly cautious when asked about additional sharing of airstrike information. They “should coordinate procedures to permit integrated operations” if the US and Russian Federation decide such operations are in their interests, the leaked document said. “How are we to assume that they are going to do better if they work with the Americans?”
The new offer represents a new recognition by the US that Nusra must be defeated to end the fighting.
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The parties reportedly expected to discuss the situation in Syria, the joint fight against terrorism and efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis during the meeting that began at 10am Moscow Time. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about it and I’ll give you all a sense of where we are”.
