At the moment, a key focus is the humanitarian situation in Aleppo.
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Kerry said the United States is seeking to enlist neighboring countries that have influence in Syria to help separate rebel forces from the Nusra group, which recently renamed itself Fateh al-Sham Front and renounced its affiliation with Al-Qaeda.
American and Russian officials, whose governments back opposite sides in the five-year Syrian war, have been meeting since July on the plan aimed at defeating Islamic State.
“We believe the teams have done a good job working out the technicalities. There are still issues that need to be ironed out”, a senior State Department official said.
Kerry said the Syrian regime “forced the surrender” of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an “example” that should be “replicated”. “I just wouldn’t be able to predict an outcome”.
USA officials say it is imperative that Russian Federation use its influence with Syrian President Bashar Assad to halt all attacks on moderate opposition forces, open humanitarian aid corridors, and concentrate any offensive action on the Islamic State group and other extremists not covered by what has become a largely ignored truce. The YPG had moved west of the river earlier this month as part of a USA -backed operation, now completed, to capture the city of Manbij from Islamic State. “The Obama administration correctly perceives this as the last best chance to ease the killing during this administration and are therefore willing to swallow a bitter pill and get more on-board with the Russian initiative than they would have liked to in an ideal world”. Just last week the USA had to call for Russian help when Syrian warplanes struck in an area not far from where US troops were operating on the ground.
The third, he went on, is to use the 48-hour pause to fix the electricity plant in the southern part of Aleppo that serves 1.8 million people and even more importantly, power the pumping of water in the eastern and western parts of the city. The rebels have not yet agreed on the proposed pause.
Kerry said that both countries have arrived at some clarity on the path forward.
“And we certainly would welcome the Russians and others engaging constructively in that process”, he added. “Initially we would be ready in the first 48-hour weekly pause to have two convoys, of 20 trucks each, that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo”, he said. He said the trucks “would come via the famous Castello Road, which is the safest and most direct route”.
Western Aleppo, where needs have “increased dramatically”, would be supplied via Damascus, he said.
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Egeland said the United Nations relief plan for Aleppo entailed simultaneous deliveries of food to the rebel-held east and government-controlled west, as well as “crossline repair” of the electrical system in the “disputed south”, which powers water pumping stations serving 1.8-million people.
