Russia, US agree to international talks, facilitate peace process in Syria

Russia and the United States are well prepared to discuss Syria’s peace process at the international peace talks on Friday, but still disagreed on allowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stay in power for some more time.

US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, not knowing whether Moscow would advocate organising international peace talks on Syria after the Kremlin put forth certain conditions to be fulfilled. However, Kerry said that the global talks will definitely take place if the two countries agreed to do so, initiating potential political transformation.

“We will meet this Friday, Dec. 18, in New York with the International Syrian Support Group, and then ... we will pass a UN resolution regarding the Vienna communiques and the next steps with respect to negotiations and hopefully a ceasefire,” Kerry said in a statement.

Kerry agreed that both the nations want good for Syria, but Assad staying in power was something the US couldn’t agree with. Kerry stated that Assad has been accused of violating human rights and using chemical weapons to attack the Western countries from time to time. The Syrian president apparently had never tried to resolve the conflict surrounding Syria for more than four years.

However, after having a conversation with Assad’s key international backer, Kerry said that the focus of the United States is no more on the difference in opinion with Russia relating to whether Assad should remain in power. But the emphasis of both the nations is and should be on how to facilitate peace process in the troubled country so that the Syrians could make a valid decision for their future after getting out of the state of disturbance.

Lavrov confirmed Russia’s support to the international talks on Syria. “Despite our countries’ differences, we have demonstrated that when the United States and Russia pull together in the same direction, progress can be made,” Lavrov told a news conference.

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