Little has been said publicly in Geneva at the site of intense talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the deteriorating situation in war-torn Syria.
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Lavrov insisted that a resumption of UN-mediated talks between the Syrian government and the US-backed opposition that were suspended in April should help reduce hostilities that have flared in recent months. “But we are not going to rush to an agreement until it satisfies fully the needs of the Syrian people”.
Russian Federation is one of Assad’s most important global backers while the U.S. supports Syria’s main opposition alliance and some rebels.
Kerry said critical sticking points remain unresolved and experts will remain in Geneva with an eye toward finalizing those in the coming days.
Yet the comments by Kerry and Lavrov also reflect how the two countries remain far apart on big issues, including Assad’s fate and the USA insistence that his forces, as well as Russia’s, not target moderate opposition groups as they pursue the Nusra and Islamic State, whose headquarters are in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
While it said that peace talks must be inclusive of all parties, Moscow has always maintained that some factions were merely terrorist organization that could not participate in negotiations. “The mutual trust is growing with every meeting”. After missing an initial target date of Aug. 1, de Mistura had hoped to restart the intra-Syrian discussions toward political transition in late August.
The US and Russian Federation are aiming to strengthen military cooperation in the fight against the IS.
But Kerry was keen to add that there is more work to be done before details of the plans are confirmed and can be put into action.
Now, the USA top diplomat John Kerry said that.and the people who are breaking the cessation of hostilities will be held accountable so that a political process can be started.
“Until we have, neither of us are prepared to make an announcement that is predicated for failure. Russian Federation will work with the Syrian government, the United States will work with the opposition”, announced Lavrov.
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Both Kerry and Lavrov stressed the need for fresh talks to find a political solution to the crisis.
