Kerry in Russia: ISIS ‘the Worst of Terrorists’

Western powers on Sunday met envoys from Libya’s political factions to nudge them toward agreeing on a unity government.

The opposition groups said power should be left by Assad at the start of a transitional period.

The US and Russian Federation agreed Islamic State was “the worst of terrorists” who “leave us with no choice but for civilised nations to stand together and fight and push back and destroy them”, Mr Kerry said.

“Later today we will tell President Putin what we have discussed and I hope that your visit will be fruitful”. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Kerry’s meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that despite previous similar calls, a lot of Russian airstrikes continue to go toward Syrian rebels.

He also criticised Russia’s military intervention in Syria, saying it was aimed at propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, not combating ISIL.

Russian Federation is one of Assad’s staunchest allies and launched a campaign of air strikes to support his forces against rebels on September 30.

The State Department official said the United States, however, has made its position “absolutely clear”.

“Well, I need to meet with the president”, he told reporters on a stroll in central Moscow, where he was mobbed by Russians wanting to meet Washington’s top diplomat. And on Ukraine, Lavrov said the USA should use its influence with the government in Kiev to settle the conflict with the separatists by respecting a shaky cease-fire and moving ahead with political reforms in eastern Ukraine.

“The discussions through which this [agreement] has developed do not constitute USA cooperation or support for Russia’s policy or actions in Syria – in fact, far from it”, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said October 20, according to the L.A. Times. “These are distinct issues, with distinct paths forward”. Assad, meanwhile, said he would never negotiate with some of the opposition groups he considers “terrorists”. It says Moscow expects to receive “necessary explanations” from Kerry about the Syria situation during the Tuesday meeting. He turned 72 on Friday, accepting a huge bouquet of flowers from the Indian environment minister.

He said Moscow sees how many efforts the US Secretary of State is making “to settle a number of very acute problems”. “There was some progress, even unexpected for most of us”.