Lavrov Meets Kerry, Says Two Nations to Push for Global Conference on Syria in Late May

Russia and the United States agreed at top-level talks on Tuesday to push both the Syrian regime and rebels to find a political solution to their conflict and to hold an international peace conference, the Russian foreign minister said.

"We agreed that Russia and the United States will encourage both the Syria government and opposition groups to find a political solution," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Moscow.

Lavrov added they agreed on the need to try to hold "as soon as possible" an international conference on Syria to convince both sides to accept the terms of the Geneva accord agreed by world powers in June last year for a peaceful solution in Syria.

He said if possible the conference should take place by the end of this month.

The Geneva agreement, which was reached by world powers on June 30, set out a path toward a transitional government without ever spelling out what President Bashar Assad's fate should be.

The accord was never implemented because the temporary ceasefire for which it also called was never put in place.

"We believe that the Geneva communique is the important track to end the bloodshed in Syria," said Kerry, describing the agreement as a roadmap to a "new Syria".

Kerry hailed a "very productive, very warm and friendly discussion" with President Vladimir Putin earlier which he said "has contributed significantly to our ability to map a road ahead."

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's belief that the departure of Assad should not be a precondition for peace talks while insisting Moscow was not propping him up in power.

"We are not concerned by the fate of any individual. We are concerned by the fate of the Syrian people," said Lavrov.

“The Geneva agreement is the best solution for the Syrian crisis,” Lavrov added.

For his part, Kerry said the goal of the international conference would be to form a transitional government that gathers both the regime and the opposition.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kerry urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to find common ground to help end the bloodshed.

Kerry, making his first trip to Russia since taking over as the chief U.S. diplomat in February, held over two hours of talks with Putin in the Kremlin which both sides said were marked by a positive tone.

Washington wants Moscow, Assad's most powerful ally, to use its sway to help end the conflict, accusing Russian leaders of continuing to arm the Syrian regime.

"The United States really believes that we share some very significant common interests with respect to Syria," Kerry told Putin at the talks in the Kremlin.

He cited these interests as "stability in the region, not letting extremists create problems in the region and elsewhere."

"It is my hope that today we will be able to dig into that a little bit, and see if we can find common ground." Kerry added.

Putin did not specifically address the differences between Washington and Moscow over Syria but said the Kremlin was preparing a response to a message on bilateral ties that President Barack Obama sent in April.

The visit coincides with the first anniversary of Putin's return to the Kremlin for a historic third term on May 7, 2012, which heralded a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington.

But Lavrov said at his talks with Kerry that the meeting with Putin showed a mutual desire "to overcome the vestiges of the past for good" and build a fruitful partnership.

Kerry, who was earlier seen chatting animatedly to Lavrov while walking in the garden of the foreign ministry guesthouse, added he was grateful to Putin for "the significant amount of time he devoted to our discussion".

Russia has long accused the West of worsening the Syria conflict by seeking to topple the Assad regime, and says Moscow is solely interested in seeing a peaceful solution to a conflict that has claimed more than 70,000 lives since March 2011.

The U.S. and other Western states have in turn accused Russia of failing to use its influence with the regime to halt the bloodshed and keeping up military deliveries to Assad.

Kerry's visit is taking place at a time of particular tension after Israel launched air strikes in Syria which Israeli sources said targeted Iranian weapons destined for the Lebanese group Hizbullah.

The Russian foreign ministry said it was "especially" concerned by the attacks, warning that the violence threatened neighboring Lebanon.