Kerry, Lavarov Discuss Syria, Political Solution
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed the deteriorating situation in Syria on Tuesday, stressing the need for a political solution, a U.S. official said.
The two have met several times since Kerry took office earlier this year, with Syria a growing cause of international concern amid fears the bloody conflict could spill over into an already volatile region.
The U.S. official said that in a one-on-one meeting, Kerry and Lavrov "focused the discussion on Syria and the importance of working toward a political solution based on the Geneva framework."
The June 2012 Geneva accord, backed strongly by Moscow, laid down plans to ensure a political transition in Syria but makes no specific mention of a role for President Bashar Assad, a long-time Russian ally.
Washington wants Assad to go and be replaced by a democratic Syrian government but Moscow is opposed to such intervention in principle and wary that removing the president will cause more problems than it fixes.
At a separate press conference, Lavrov insisted repeatedly that unnamed countries were meddling in Syria and undermining the possibility of a peaceful, negotiated transition.
Recent developments "show that there is a growing understanding of the real threats we will all face" if dialogue is blocked by a "minority of the international community," Lavrov said.
"If we do not do anything, it is the extremists who will win," he added.
Kerry was attending a one-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels Tuesday, with Lavrov invited as part of the alliance's regular consultations with Moscow on bilateral and international issues.
Syria is a major talking point along with Afghanistan as the alliance prepares to withdraw all combat troops by end-2014.
Source: Agence France Presse
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