UN meeting on Syria political transition to go forward

The results of the meetings will determine whether or not a new worldwide diplomatic conference on Syria will go ahead as planned at the United Nations on Friday.

Kerry also had a meeting with Ludmila Alexeyeva, head of the human rights organization Moscow Helsinki Group, and took a walk along Arbat street, Radio Svoboda reported Tuesday.

Washington and Moscow are the key powers in the process, leading talks through the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

Kerry’s visit is his second to Russian Federation this year, but his first since the start of Moscow’s military campaign in Syria in September.

Syrians gather at the site of a vehicle bomb explosion in al-Zahra neighborhood in Homs on December 12, …

Kerry also said he told President Vladimir Putin Washington was concerned that some of Russia’s strikes in Syria were directed against the “moderate opposition” and not the Islamic State.

Kerry stressed that Russian Federation and the United States can do much toward resolving the Syrian crisis, and praised the Vienna talks as a good starting point.

“On the Syrian settlement we were focusing on intensifying our efforts in counter-terrorism”, Lavrov said. “Today, I hope we can find some common ground”.

Earlier Tuesday, Kerry called Lavrov the “co-convenor” of the talks and thanked him for his efforts “to lead us up now hopefully to getting to NY and building on the progress that’s been made”.

There are over 150 such opposition groups, Rudskoy said, adding that “the most patriotic of them” are already fighting IS terrorists alongside the Syrian army.

“Even when there have been differences between us, we have been able to work effectively on specific issues”, Mr Kerry said as he began discussions in the Russian capital.