Lavrov, Kerry in Marathon Negotiations as ‘Real Chance’ of Agreement Gets Closer

The US and Russian top diplomats have been in negotiations on Syria in Geneva for many hours in a row. Any exits from talks spark a ruction in the press pack while German FM said the two sides have a real chance to agree on a ceasefire this time, according to RT.

Geneva negotiations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry are already lasting for more than eight hours with the two ministers having had several breaks.

 Any exits from the closed doors cause a stir among journalists who are eager to get the scoop. Though the record of 16 hour marathon negotiations in Minsk on the Ukraine crisis is far from being broken, some of the journalists fell asleep right in the lobby.

Earlier on Friday, German FM Walter Steinmeier said in Berlin that the two sides have a real chance to agree on a “ceasefire” during these talks, adding that there is already an “existing document concerning the truce” that lasts many days. He also lifted the veil by saying that the differences between Russia and the US were reduced to just two or three issues.

During one of the breaks, Kerry addressed the journalists and asked how they are “surviving” while Sergey Lavrov said that he, unfortunately, has no information to cheer them up during another break, RT’s Egor Piskunov reports from the scene.

The ongoing talks are surrounded by speculations and the atmosphere of uncertainty is prevailing in Geneva as nothing specific has still been said about the nature of the negotiations and neither Lavrov nor Kerry have made any official statements after more than eight hours of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Steinmeier said that the US and Russian diplomats are working on a possible “ceasefire” in Syria that can last from seven to 10 days, the RT correspondent on the scene reports.

The main goal of the ceasefire is reportedly to ensure that the humanitarian aid gets into several areas in Syria, particularly to the city of Aleppo. The issue of separation of the “moderate opposition” forces from terrorist groups is reportedly still the major stumbling block in the ongoing negotiations, according to the RT correspondent on the scene.

The two diplomats had at least 40 conversations ranging from phone calls to marathon talks this year alone. The longest negotiations they had in 2016 lasted 12 hours and took place in late August. Those talks allowed Russia and the US to reduce mutual levels of misunderstanding. At that time, the two countries also agreed to enhance their cooperation on Syria, particularly on the military level. The latest talks between Lavrov and Kerry continued for 11 hours.

H.M