Lavrov Discussed with Kerry, Shukri ways to Eliminate Crisis in Syria

MOSCOW, (ST) _The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed, during a telephone conversation with his US counterpart, John Kerry, the situation concerning Syria and ways to eliminate its crisis in light of the inter- Syrian consultative meeting to be held in Moscow.

In a statement yesterday, the ministry said that the telephone talks, which was at Kerry’s initiative focused on the situation in southeastern Ukraine, on which Lavrov called on Washington to use its influence on the authorities in Kiev to renounce the military option in eastern Ukraine.

“The e two sides stressed the need for the immediate cessation of artillery raids on Donbass and pullout of heavy weapons,” the statement read.

In a statement last Friday Lavrov condemned bombing the bus station in Donetsk, southeastern Ukraine, which resulted in killing or wounding 33 people, describing this act as a crime against humanity and a provocation that undermines efforts to political settlement for the Ukrainian crisis.

The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that the two sides stressed the willingness of Moscow and Washington to work on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to his Ukrainian counterpart Pyotr Poroshenko a plan provided for both ides of the conflict to pullout heavy weapons from the confrontation line in eastern Ukraine, stressing that Moscow is ready to observe this process in conjunction with observers of the EU security and cooperation organization.

Last Thursday, foreign ministers of Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine called for halting hostilities and pulling out heavy weapons from the confrontation line as agreed, by Minsk agreement.

Lavrov, Egyptian Peer Discussed ways to Reach Political Solution to Syria Crisis

Meantime, Lavrov discussed in a telephone conversation yesterday with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri ways to reach a solution to the crisis in Syria.

In a statement yesterday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “during the telephone call, which was at the initiative of the Egyptian foreign minister, the two ministers discussed means of promoting an urgent political settlement in Syria through dialogue on the basis of Geneva statement of June 30th 2012 “, in addition to the strengthening bilateral relations between Russia and Egypt in all fields.

T. Fateh