New hope for Syria peace
US, Russia in clear push towards talks
US SECRETARY of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva yesterday for an expected push towards resuming peace talks for war-ravaged Syria.
The pair sat down in a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva at around 10am to begin talks expected to centre heavily on Syria’s devastating war.
On Thursday, the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, described the meeting as important and said it could help his drive to resume peace negotiations for the country.
Successive rounds of international negotiations have failed to end a conflict which has killed more than 290 000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the war, which erupted in 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt. Yesterday’s meeting came as the conflict became further complicated by Ankara’s decision this week to send tanks into Syria.
Turkish-backed rebel fighters have seized the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from Islamic State group fighters. But at the same time, Turkish forces have also shelled a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia.
Russian planes have also been carrying out raids on Syrian rebel groups, some of which are supported by the United States. But the US and Russia have a common foe in the Islamic State group.
They have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists. As a possible sign of tightening cooperation, Moscow vowed on Thursday to work with the US on a response after a UN investigation found that the Syrian regime had carried out chemical attacks. The two countries also co-chair a UNbacked humanitarian taskforce for Syria, which has been struggling to ensure access for desperately-needed aid across the country.
Russia last week gave its blessing to a long-demanded 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo to allow in aid, but de Mistura said other unspecified parties were still dragging their feet. — AFP