Lavrov, Kerry, De Mistura Press Conference after ISSG meeting in Vienna

 VIENNA-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura held a press conference following a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Vienna on May 17 to discuss the cessation of hostilities agreement reached in February.

The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) calls on all parties to the Syrian “ceasefire” to disassociate themselves from Daesh and Nusra Front terrorist groups, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

 “We call on all parties to the cessation of hostilities to disassociate themselves from Daesh, al-Nusra,” Kerry said following the ISSG meeting.

The “ceasefire” in Syria worked out by Russia and the United States took effect on February 27. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to groups designated by the United Nations as terrorist organizations, such as the IS and the Nusra Front, outlawed in a number of countries worldwide including Russia and the United States.

Kerry: All Parties Agreed on Framework of United, Non-Sectarian Syria

All countries taking part in International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting have agreed on a framework for a united, non-sectarian Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Earlier in the day, foreign ministers of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) convened for the fifth time in Vienna.

“All of the parties, most importantly Russia, Iran and key regional countries, have agreed on a basic framework of a united and non-sectarian Syria…The challenge now is to transform it into an agreement,” Kerry told reporters at the close of the ISSG meeting.

The sides involved in the conflict in Syria need to reconcile agendas in order the achieve peace in the country, he added.

 The UN humanitarian agency World Food Programme should start carrying out air drops of humanitarian aid in Syria in case there is no access to the areas in need by June 1, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday, following the ISSG meeting in Vienna.

 Lavrov’s Speech

The cessation of hostilities in Syria worked out by Russia and the United States took effect on February 27 to facilitate humanitarian access to all besieged areas in the country, among other purposes.

The main result of Tuesday’s International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting was the confirmation of commitment to agreements on Syria settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“I consider the main result to be the full confirmation — without any exceptions — of the basis of our work. This is the joint ISSG statement and UN Security Council resolutions 2218, 2254 and 2268,” Lavrov told reporters.

“I would like to point out that we noted progress in all areas,” he added.

“Today’s document confirmed our arrangements of political process in Syria,” Lavrov said. “Violence has decreased since February,” he added.

Lavrov: We see no real force that would be more effective in the fight against terrorism than the Syrian army

The Russian top diplomat said that Russia supports the fight against terrorism in Syria.

“As of today, we see no real force that would be more effective  in the fight against terrorism than the Syrian army,” Lavrov told reporters.

He also said that Russia is concerned by Western tradition to use sanctions in every turn,.

He pointed out that terrorists in Syria are receiving tanks from abroad.

“Large numbers of tanks are being sent to Syria. There have been incidents, by the way, where suicide terrorists have used tanks to commit terrorist acts,” Lavrov told reporters, adding that this is “a new development of the crisis.”

Turkey Helps Daesh Terrorists

There is plenty of evidence pointing out at Turkey setting up a large network to supply Daesh terrorists operating in Syria, Lavrov said.

“We have talked about it [the network] for a long time because it is obvious that it is the main supply conduit for extremists…there is a stretch of the border, some 90 kilometers [some 56 miles] that is controlled by Daesh militants from the Syrian side and by Turkey from the other side,” he clarified.

“There are many factors pointing out at a large, widely-spread network created by Turkey on its side of the border to continue and cover up these supplies,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia had provided the UN Security Council with open source data confirming Turkey’s “illegal and unacceptable” activities in that respect.

Staffan de Mistura’s Speech

The intra-Syria talks should be re-launched as soon as possible, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said.

“We cannot wait too long, we need to keep the momentum. I cannot tell the exact date at the moment… There should be a credible improvement on the humanitarian side and cessation of hostilities side,” de Mistura said.

Humanitarian aid has to be delivered to besieged and hard-to-reach areas of Syria by aircraft if not by land transport, de Mistura said.

The UN envoy added that the decision to launch the World Food Programme’s humanitarian air drops in Syria is “something new” and positive.

Source: Sputnik

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