Diplomats told AFP news agency that it would take place at 2pm (18:00 GMT) in a NY hotel.
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“Supposedly we all want the same goal”.
Kerry spoke immediately after Lavrov, whose comments underscored a breakdown in trust since the pair sealed the cease-fire agreement and potential U.S. “But we are proving woefully inadequate in our ability to be able to get to the table and have that conversation and make it happen”. President Barack Obama has made clear the USA will use military force only against IS and other extremist organizations, and not against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. He recited Moscow’s changing narrative over a deadly attack this week on an aid convoy that has included everything from claims of a justifiable counterterror strike to vehicles spontaneously combusting.
“The question now is whether there remains any real chance of moving forward, because it is clear that we can not continue on the same path any longer”, Mr Kerry said.
Kerry offered one concrete suggestion to revive diplomatic hopes. He pointed to the differing accounts regarding the conflict in Syria, where Russian Federation and the U.S. have been working together on facilitating a ceasefire.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wants all aircraft over key humanitarian routes in northern Syria grounded in order to facilitate desperately need aid deliveries.
Meanwhile, Ryabkov called on all sides in Syrian conflict to stop breaching the peace plan brokered by the United States and Russian Federation on September 9. -Russian military partnership against the Islamic State and al-Qaida 12 days ago. The former Cold War foes and much of the global community hailed the outcome, only to watch it unravel amid an upsurge in violence that even included an accidental USA strike that killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers.
In a conference call with reporters, a senior US administration official described today’s meeting as “contentious” and said it would take “extraordinary steps by the Russians and the regime” to get the cease-fire back on track.
Lavrov said the Syrian opposition needed to take steps toward a compromise. In one, on Monday, 20 civilians were killed when the Syrian Red Crescent convoy was struck. The U.S. and its allies acknowledged the errant strike and have apologized for it. And in a not-so-subtle jab at Washington, he called Syria’s conflict, as well as those in Iraq and Libya, the “direct consequence” of foreign military interventions and “political engineering”. It was a not-so-subtle finger pointed at Washington.
“The response of the Russians was not satisfying”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said after the meeting on the sidelines of the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders.
But Lavrov’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, who was accompanying him, suggested later that the Russians were not enthused.
Thursday’s meeting of the International Syria Support Group comes after the two blamed each other for spoiling the country’s cease-fire that they had agreed to only two weeks before. -Russian cease-fire deal, but once again illustrated why they’ve been unable for more than five years to stop Syria’s civil war.
Lavrov on Wednesday mentioned the possibility of a three-day period of “silence”.
The U.N.is not taking part in the evacuation, Barazi says, saying it’s position was “unconstructive and surprising”.
The United Nations mediator on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, described the high-level meeting as “long, painful and disappointing”. Tuesday’s was the “International Syria Support Group”.
A medical relief organization says an airstrike in northern Syria hit a mobile emergency unit, and not a medical facility.
“I know, it looks like a dream”, de Mistura said.
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Earlier, Kerry had said: “It’s going to be hard”.
