Russia, US Agreed On Syria’s New Government And Ceasefire
MEP: The United States John Kerry and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov have agreed on reaching an agreement to end the war in Syria, with both nations saying they would try and finalise a deal in the coming days.
US Secretary of State John Kerry says he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov “have achieved clarity on the path forward” in Syria, but have “narrow issues” to resolve.
“It is an achievement that we have been able to reduce areas of misunderstanding and to reduce the level of mutual mistrust between the two countries,” Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Kerry at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
“We have agreed on concrete ways in which we will work with the sides: Russia – with the government and the opposition, that is working with us, the United States – with the opposition, which is cooperating with them,” Lavrov added.
Mr Kerry said they were close, but would not rush into an agreement.
“We don’t want to have a deal for the sake of the deal,” Kerry said. “We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution.”
Without naming any countries, Lavrov slammed some governments for illegally intervening in Syria and emboldening terrorists by undermining the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, calling Iran and Russia as the only countries legally assisting Syrians inside the country.
Russia and the US have agreed on a number of issues as to how boost the peace process on Syria. According to the diplomats, experts from both states will meet in Geneva in the coming days to clarify the details of what has been agreed.
The talks come as the Damascus suburb of Darayya was evacuated after a four-year siege by the government.
