Other countries and organizations including China, Iran, North Korea – which the U.S. says was behind the 2015 attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment – and Islamic State have been named as bad actors in cyberspace by Lisa Monaco, Obama’s top homeland security and terrorism adviser.
Advertisement
Neither commented directly on the Turkish proposal, though both said they wanted to build cooperation in fighting terrorism in Syria.
Moscow has sometimes questioned whether USA -backed rebels really are moderate. “If an agreement can be reached, we want to do so urgently because of the humanitarian situation, however we must ensure it is an effective agreement and so that is why we continue to have these discussions”. Obama says “we have deep commitments” to account for those lost during the war.
A cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by Lavrov and Kerry in February unraveled within weeks, with Washington accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of violating the pact.
Speaking to reporters in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, he said it was premature to give details about the terms of the agreement, but that Russian Federation would strengthen co-operation with the United States on fighting terrorism.
On Sunday, after an anticipated news conference did not take place, Kerry told reporters that his negotiations here with Lavrov snagged on “a couple of tough issues” – almost identical to the language he used when the two failed to reach agreement in their last meeting, just over a week ago in Geneva.
“It was constructive”, the White House official said of the meeting. Putin’s persistent support for the Syrian regime, Moscow’s moves in Ukraine and the charge that Russian Federation may be meddling in the U.S. presidential contest have built a deeply antagonistic dynamic between the two leaders.
Mr Obama met earlier with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the same issue.
Negotiators failed to work through differences, and the talks have ended for now. The United States has backed the Kurdish fighters against the jihadists, but Turkey sees them as a hostile force linked to Kurdish militants on its own soil.
Obama’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping also veered into delicate territory, with a lengthy White House description detailing how Obama had pressed Xi to abide by an global tribunal’s ruling against China over the South China Sea.
As the president was greeted by his Chinese hosts, Mr Obama’s aides and journalists accompanying the president clashed with a Chinese official as they tried to watch the ceremony.
Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice was also involved in an argument with a Chinese official who stopped her from crossing a media rope as she made her way to the USA motorcade. His next stop is Laos, where he will promote his effort to deepen ties to Southeast Asia.
Advertisement
Obama said “the typical the tone of our meetings are candid, blunt and businesslike and this one was no different”.
