US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov give a press conference in Geneva following their meeting on Syria chemical weapons, September 12, 2013.
The United States and Russia are gearing up for a third day of talks regarding the recent Russian proposal that Syria™s chemical arms be put under international supervision.
The negotiations, which are set to resume on Saturday, come as both sides have already agreed that a political solution to the crisis in Syria is the only realistic way to end the violence in the country.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry met with UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi on the sidelines of their summit in Geneva and vowed to make an effort to restart the long-delayed Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria.
œWe both agreed… to meet again in New York around the time of the UN General Assembly around the 28th [of September] in order to see if it is possible then to find a date for that conference,” Kerry said.
The three also expressed hope that the negotiations over Syrian chemical weapons would open the door to wider efforts to stop the conflict in Syria.
The Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria, proposed by Russia and the United States in May, has failed so far to take place as Syria™s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over taking part in the planned event.
On Friday, Khalid Saleh, the head of the media office of the so-called Syrian National Council (SNC), said at a press conference after a meeting of the group™s members in Istanbul that the US œis distributing non-lethal aid and… some lethal assistance” to the foreign-backed militants operating in Syria.
The Washington Post reported on September 11 that weapons funded by the CIA spy agency had begun reaching the militants in Syria.
On the same day, the militants said they feel let-down and more frustrated than ever because of US President Barack Obama™s decision to consider the Russian proposal meant to find a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis.
On September 12, military commander of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), General Selim Idriss, rejected the Russian initiative that œforesees placing chemical weapons under international control.”
MR/HN/HSN
Copyright: Press TV