Lavrov Meets Kerry, Urges Opposition to Enter Dialogue

Local Editor

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday met his US counterpart John Kerry in Berlin to discuss the Syrian crisis, bilateral relations and other important international issues.

"The meeting, which is the first between Lavrov and Kerry, was a new destination in the Russian, US relations, though it didn't make any considerable breakthrough," Russia Today Website said.
It added that both sides discussed the crisis in Syria and bilateral relations.
In parallel, the Russian Foreign Minister called on the Syrian opposition to hold dialogue with the government and nominate its representatives.

"We hope the Syrian opposition would express support for dialogue as it issued conflicting statements in this regard, we hope the opposition would not only support dialogue, but also nominate its team for negotiations," the Russian Today TV site quoted the Russian Minister as telling reporters following the meeting.
Lavrov earlier Tuesday slammed "extremists" within the Syrian opposition he said were blocking the start of dialogue in war-torn Syria.

On Monday he hosted Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Moscow, who in a ground-breaking statement said the Assad regime was ready for talks with armed rebels.
"They [representatives of al-Assad regime] assured us that they both have a negotiating team and are ready to start dialogue as soon as possible," Lavrov was quoted as saying in Berlin.
He added that he and Kerry agreed at the meeting to do their best to help start talks in the war-torn country.
"On Syria the most important is that we confirmed our common understanding of the intolerance of continuing violence and through this intolerance our determination to do everything that depends on Russia and the United States," Lavrov confirmed.

He further stated that "not everything depends on us but what does depend we will do to create conditions that will facilitate the start of dialogue between the government and the opposition as soon as possible. No-one will solve their problems for Syrians but in order for this decision to begin being discussed it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table."

Source: News agencies, Edited by moqawama.org