“We made propositions for a ceasefire that are quite specific”, he said as he sat down for talks with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Munich. The Russian ambassador here at the United Nations has been talking in general terms about a ceasefire in Syria being part of the negotiations. He added that for Washington an “immediate ceasefire” is preferable. His peace push coincides with Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s attendance at a gathering in Brussels to hash out military options with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners.
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The ministry also rejected accusations of targeting residential areas of Aleppo and denied responsibility for the alleged destruction of two hospitals in the northern Syrian city.
The government assault helped to derail already struggling Geneva peace talks this month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to present ceasefire proposals at the Munich talks, but no details of the plan were released at the council meeting.
“We’re going to have a serious conversation about all aspects about what’s happening in Syria”, Kerry said as their meeting got under way. “Obviously at some point in time we want progress on issues of humanitarian access”, Kerry said during the meeting with Lavrov.
But after having long demanded Assad’s removal, the shift in the USA focus to combating terrorism has resulted in a confusing mix of priorities and a layered strategy in Syria that few understand, and even fewer see working. The US special envoy for the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group, Brett McGurk, said Russia’s bombing campaign was “directly enabling” the jihadists.
Isis holds swathes of the country, as does a coalition of other Islamist groups including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.
“For us it’s important to stop the Russian aggression on the Syrian people”, he said. Nonetheless, experts also say there is a limit to how much Russian aerial bombardment can achieve, particularly as the rebels – who still have the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries – dig in for protracted urban warfare.
New Zealand and Spain proposed a humanitarian pause to shore up prospects for the peace talks after the opposition said it would not attend without an end to starvation sieges and air strikes.
Kurdish-led fighters aided by Russian bombing captured a rebel-held former Syrian military airport near the border with Turkey, a monitor and rebels said on Thursday.
And the U.S.is anxious that the opposition could suffer irreversible losses in northern and southern Syria.
The administration has hinted it could work with a Syrian transition government toward that goal, though that may end up meaning cooperating with an administration in which Assad plays some role.
The Turks aren’t pleased with the Americans, either, particularly their support for Kurdish militants who they consider terrorists but have proved the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State in Syria.
Rebel groups have been distracted by the offensive in the area by the Syrian army and its Russian allies, allowing the Kurds to capture the Menagh base near the Turkish border and expand their foothold in the north.
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Abdul-Jabbar Abu Thabet, a local rebel commander in the Aleppo province, said Thursday that Mannagh air base fell to the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, and their allies after fierce battles. The uprising against Assad’s government started in March 2011.
