Opposing viewpoints
Negotiating on invitee list, Kerry, Lavrov say sides don’t support postponement
Secretary of State John Kerry (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov take their seats Wednesday in Zurich to discuss their differences over who can join peace talks on Syria set to begin next week. Afterward, it was not clear the differences had been resolved, but both said they did not want to delay the talks.
ZURICH — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Wednesday in hopes of resolving differences over who is eligible to join United Nations-mediated peace talks for Syria set to begin next week.
The State Department said the two men had discussed plans for the negotiations that the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, hopes to convene Monday in Geneva on and “the importance of maintaining progress toward a diplomatic solution to the crisis.” But, while both sides said they did not support a delay in the talks, it was not immediately clear whether the differences had been resolved.
“We do not have any kind of thoughts about changing the beginning of the talks from January to February,” Lavrov told reporters. “This is the position of Russia and the USA.
“The political process will begin, we hope, in the nearest future, during January,” he said. “Various dates have been named, but the final decision will be taken by the secretary-general of the United Nations on the advice and recommendations of his special envoy.”
Lavrov added that the main topic of conversation with Kerry was “coordination,” primarily about terrorist organizations, which would be left out of the political process and a ceasefire that is envisioned to take effect once the negotiations begin.
In the meeting, Kerry also called for Russia to use its influence with Syrian President Bashar Assad “to ensure immediate, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all Syrians in need,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said, particularly in besieged communities like Madaya, where deaths from starvation have been reported.
The negotiations between the Assad government and the opposition are to be the first step in a proposed an 18-month political transition for Syria, which has been mired in civil war for almost five years.
Differences over which Syrian opposition groups should be labeled terrorists and barred from the negotiations and the cease-fire have led to concerns that the talks may have to be postponed.
Russia and Iran, which back Assad, have strong differences with Saudi Arabia, other Arab states, the United States and Europe over which opposition groups should be considered terrorists and therefore excluded from the transition process the U.N. has endorsed.
One dispute is over the groups Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam. Russia and Syria consider them terrorists; Saudi Arabia, the United States and others view them as legitimate opposition groups.
On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries backing opposing sides in the Syrian conflict to redouble efforts to reach agreement on the eligible opposition groups. But U.N. officials said they can’t send out invitations until the key countries agree on an opposition list.
Kerry will visit Saudi Arabia this weekend in pursuit of a consensus on the list.
In Zurich, Kerry and Lavrov also discussed the situation in Ukraine and compared notes on how to speed up the full implementation of an agreement to end hostilities in the east, where government troops are continuing to battle Russia-backed separatists, Kirby said. The two also discussed possible responses to North Korea’s latest nuclear test, he said.
Kerry left the meeting in Zurich to participate in the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort town of Davos, where he will see a number of world leaders over the next two days, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Kerry is one of several senior U.S. officials heading to the annual Davos conference. Among the others are Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.