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HAMBURG, Germany – US Secretary of State John Kerry held fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Germany Wednesday, December 7, but no breakthrough emerged on efforts to halt the fighting in the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo.
After a meeting lasting about one hour, Kerry said the two talked “about the extraordinarily dire situation in Aleppo and we exchanged some ideas about it and we intend to connect in the morning to see where we are”.
Kerry, who is on a farewell tour in Europe, and Lavrov were in the northern city of Hamburg for a gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that opens Thursday, December 8.
Kerry will continue on to Paris to take part in a separate meeting organized by his French, German and Qatari counterparts Saturday, December 10, on Syria, the State Department said.
The announcement came as the United States, Britain and France led a joint call for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to reach Aleppo, in an appeal backed by Canada, Germany and Italy.
In Hamburg Lavrov said earlier, as he walked into a hotel to meet Kerry, that he agreed and confirmed “the support of the American proposal of December 2”.
The Russian side had earlier said Kerry’s proposal made in Rome last Friday involves a complete rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, but then accused Washington of backtracking and cancelling talks due to be held in Geneva this week.
Kerry denied any change of plans and Washington itself accused Moscow of stalling after Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Monday, December 5, calling for a seven-day ceasefire.
Kerry, taking part in his last NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, said he would work for a relaunch of peace talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition with the help of President Bashar al-Assad’s ally Russia.
“Russia says Assad is ready to come to the table… and I am in favour of putting that to the test,” Kerry said in Brussels.
Kerry has had repeated meetings on Syria with Lavrov as the situation in Aleppo has deteriorated.
Moscow launched an air war in support of Assad’s forces last year, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime.
Kerry, asked by a journalist before the Hamburg meeting what it would take to bring peace to Aleppo, replied: “common sense”. – Rappler.com
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