Lavrov, Kerry Discussed Preparations for Geneva Conference on Syria

BRUNEI, (ST)_ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  discussed with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Brunei yesterday preparations for the international conference on Syria in Geneva, and  bilateral relations.

Lavrov told reporters after the meeting with Kerry  on the sidelines of their participation in the Conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations / ASEAN / that the United States recognizes that the key to holding an international conference on Syria to a political solution to the crisis on the basis of Geneva statement  of  June 30 , 2012 , lies in bringing together and uniting the Syrian  opposition. “

 For his part, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that international talks are the best way “save the state of Syria” from destruction

“We both agreed that our countries have an ability to be able to make a difference if we can pull together in that effort,” Kerry said after meeting Lavrov on the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Brunei.

But despite the differences, Kerry said the objective of the United States and Russia “remains the same… to recognize the notion that there really isn’t a military victory per se in Syria that keeps Syria as a country, and … that we have an obligation to try to work towards a peaceful resolution because a peaceful settlement is the best way to save the state of Syria and to minimize the destruction.”

US and Russian officials met in Geneva last week to try to map out a road to peace in Syria, but failed to agree on a date for a follow-up international conference aimed at ending the conflict.

Both men called for the next round of talks to be held “sooner rather than later,” Kerry said, although he acknowledged that they might not happen before August. 

T. Fateh