US, Russia to urge UN for Syria peace talks in mid-November
9 Oct 2013 4:19 AM IST
‘We will urge a date to be set as soon as possible,’ Kerry told reporters at a joint news conference with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Kerry also said the start of the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria was a ‘good beginning’ and, in unusual praise for Damascus, said Syria’s government should be given credit for complying with a recent UN resolution to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal.
‘I am not going to vouch today for what happens months down the road but it is a good beginning and we should welcome a good beginning,’ he added. Kerry and Lavrov met at a resort on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they signed an agreement on nuclear risk reduction centres in Washington and Moscow, first created in 1987 to facilitate verification of arms control treaties and agreements.
Kerry and Lavrov met first with aides and then privately where they discussed ways to end Syria’s civil war and upcoming talks with Iran on ending a dispute over its nuclear weapons programme.
Kerry characterized his meeting with Lavrov as ‘one of the most productive we have had’, saying they spoke at length about ways to bring warring parties in Syria together for talks in Geneva, known as Geneva 2. ‘We agreed again there is no military solution here and share an interest in not having radical extremists on either side assuming greater position.'
Kerry also said the start of the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria was a ‘good beginning’ and, in unusual praise for Damascus, said Syria’s government should be given credit for complying with a recent UN resolution to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal.
‘I am not going to vouch today for what happens months down the road but it is a good beginning and we should welcome a good beginning,’ he added. Kerry and Lavrov met at a resort on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they signed an agreement on nuclear risk reduction centres in Washington and Moscow, first created in 1987 to facilitate verification of arms control treaties and agreements.
Kerry and Lavrov met first with aides and then privately where they discussed ways to end Syria’s civil war and upcoming talks with Iran on ending a dispute over its nuclear weapons programme.
Kerry characterized his meeting with Lavrov as ‘one of the most productive we have had’, saying they spoke at length about ways to bring warring parties in Syria together for talks in Geneva, known as Geneva 2. ‘We agreed again there is no military solution here and share an interest in not having radical extremists on either side assuming greater position.'
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