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Russia's Lavrov and Sec. Kerry hail Syrian ceasefire progress
by Joseph Earnest March 7, 2016
Newscast Media MOSCOW—Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday, during a phone conversation, praised "real progress" of the Syrian ceasefire agreement, that has ensured a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
"The two sides expressed an overall positive assessment of real progress in achieving a truce on Syrian soil, which is generally respected and has already led to a sharp decrease in the level of violence," Russian Foreign Ministry said in an online statement.
Lavrov and Kerry stressed the need to prevent delay of intra-Syrian talks under UN auspices, as well as to provide humanitarian aid to blocked areas in Syria.
"It is essential to ensure from the very beginning the participation (in the intra-Syrian negotiations), along with the delegation of the Syrian government, of a wide spectrum of all opposition forces, including Syrian Kurds," the ministry quoted Lavrov as saying.
The two diplomats confirmed that joint efforts would be paid by both countries' representatives in Geneva to ensure smooth work of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) task forces on humanitarian and ceasefire issues.
Lavrov and Kerry discussed a schedule of political contacts for the nearest future.
They also agreed to continue cooperate with all involved parties in order to find ways to settle Yemeni conflict through political dialogue.
The Russia-U.S.-backed cessation of hostilities plan went into effect at midnight last Friday in all Syrian cities. The truce has so far been largely adhered to despite sporadic violations.
Currently, a UN-mediated intra-Syrian talk is scheduled for March 9 in Geneva as a fresh diplomatic effort to politically settle the Syria crisis. Add Comments>>
Source: Xinhua
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