Washington and Moscow made key steps towards agreeing a new ceasefire in Syria, but a final deal has not been reached, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart said after talks Friday.
Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comments after the marathon talks at a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva.
"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward" for a revamped cessation of hostilities, the top US diplomat said.
He added that the "vast majority" of technical obstacles to a ceasefire had been agreed but that some issues remained unresolved.
Lavrov echoed his American counterpart, telling reporters that "very important steps" had been made on a deal to stop the violence.
There had been hopes of a definitive announcement to stem the fighting in the war-ravaged country or on a new round of UN-brokered peace talks.
Kerry explained that US and Russian experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to pour over a set of unresolved issues in hopes of striking a durable deal.
He stressed though that "neither of us is (ready) to make an announcement that is predicated by failure -- we don't want to have a deal for the sake of a deal."
A previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year has all but collapsed, and Kerry acknowledged that "violations (of the deal) eventually became the norm rather than the exception."
Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, which erupted in March 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt...
[i24news.tv]
27/8/16
Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comments after the marathon talks at a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva.
"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward" for a revamped cessation of hostilities, the top US diplomat said.
He added that the "vast majority" of technical obstacles to a ceasefire had been agreed but that some issues remained unresolved.
Lavrov echoed his American counterpart, telling reporters that "very important steps" had been made on a deal to stop the violence.
There had been hopes of a definitive announcement to stem the fighting in the war-ravaged country or on a new round of UN-brokered peace talks.
Kerry explained that US and Russian experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to pour over a set of unresolved issues in hopes of striking a durable deal.
He stressed though that "neither of us is (ready) to make an announcement that is predicated by failure -- we don't want to have a deal for the sake of a deal."
A previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year has all but collapsed, and Kerry acknowledged that "violations (of the deal) eventually became the norm rather than the exception."
Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, which erupted in March 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt...
[i24news.tv]
27/8/16
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No deal yet on Syria for Russia, US...
ReplyDeleteWashington and Moscow have “achieved clarity” on the way towards a new ceasefire in Syria, but technical details must still be resolved, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
“Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward” for a revamped cessation to the fighting, Kerry told reporters alongside his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after marathon talks.
Lavrov added that “substantial agreements had been reached” while noting that “some things need to be finalized.”
Kerry stressed that the two sides were not prepared to make a definitive announcement, but said US and Russian technical experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to hammer out a set of unresolved issues.
“We are working on those issues,” Washington’s top envoy said. “Neither of us is (ready) to make an announcement that is predicated by failure - we don’t want to have a deal for the sake of a deal.”
Kerry linked the near total collapse of a previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year to the failure to respond to violations and the Syrian regime’s efforts to reclaim strategic territory, including around Damascus.
AFP
Gespräche über Waffenruhe in Syrien: "Klarheit über den Weg"...
ReplyDeleteNeuer Hoffnungsschimmer für Syrien? Die Außenminister der USA und Russlands, Kerry und Lawrow, haben sich nach stundenlangen Gesprächen in Genf zu einer Waffenruhe in Syrien bekannt. Doch viele Fragen seien nach wie vor offen, betonten beide. Lösungen dafür sollen nun Experten aus beiden Staaten aushandeln.
Die USA und Russland haben sich nach Angaben von US-Außenminister John Kerry im Grundsatz auf eine Waffenruhe in Syrien geeinigt. Beide Seiten hätten "Klarheit über den Weg" zu einem Ende der Kämpfe erzielt, sagte Kerry nach Gesprächen mit seinem russischen Kollegen Sergej Lawrow in Genf. In den kommenden Tagen würden Experten beider Länder erneut zu Gesprächen in der Schweizer Stadt zusammenkommen, um offene Fragen zu klären.
"Etliche einzelne Fragen" offen
Lawrow sagte dazu an der Seite von Kerry vor Journalisten, einige Einzelheiten müssten noch "abgeschlossen werden". Auch der russische Außenminister wies darauf hin, dass vor einem möglichen Durchbruch zu einer friedlichen Lösung im Syrien-Konflikt noch "etliche einzelne Fragen" zu klären seien. Dazu gehört nach Angaben beider Politiker das Vorgehen gegen terroristische Gruppierungen wie die Al-Nusra-Front....http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/verhandlungen-ueber-waffenruhe-in-syrien-101.html
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told press on Friday that talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had made much headway, with minor details remaining to be addressed in view of brokering a new cessation of hostilities for war-torn Syria...
ReplyDelete"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward," Kerry told press late Friday evening.
"We have completed the vast majority of those technical discussions which were primarily focused on making this cessation of hostilities real, and improving the level of humanitarian assistance, thereby getting the parties to the table so we can have a serious negotiation about how to end this war," he added.
Lavrov confirmed that the long day of meetings in a luxurious hotel in Geneva had enabled both delegations to make progress.
"We still need to finalize minor issues, that is why our experts will continue in Geneva next week," he said.
These face-to-face discussions followed Kerry's meeting with Lavrov in Moscow last month, a meeting the Russian side described as "very useful" on Friday.
Lavrov also reminded that that dialogue is key to build trust and reduce areas of misunderstanding between both nations......http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-08/27/content_39176526.htm