Russia, U.S. Still Far Apart on Syria as Kerry to Meet Putin
Russia and the U.S. are struggling to narrow differences over Syria as Secretary of State John Kerry prepares to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday amid continuing friction in relations between the former Cold War enemies.
The Kremlin dismissed talk of compromise, with demands by the U.S. and its allies for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian and Iranian ally, at the center of the deadlock over a political settlement aimed at ending the civil war in the Middle Eastern country. “Work is going on, contacts are going on, but so far we can’t really say that positions are converging,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on a conference call Monday.
Russia is disappointed by “ridiculous” White House comments ahead of Kerry’s visit that it’s internationally isolated, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement Monday. It expects business-like discussions with Kerry and is ready for “constructive cooperation,” though that’s possible only on the basis of “equality and mutual respect.”
Kerry’s second visit to Russia this year for meetings with Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following eight hours of talks in Sochi in May, comes as the U.S. seeks agreement among Russia and other major powers for a meeting on Dec. 18 in New York to pursue efforts for a cease-fire and an interim power-sharing government in Syria. In another conference call late Monday with reporters, Peskov confirmed Putin and Lavrov would meet Kerry.
Target Date
Russia’s bombing campaign that began Sept. 30 against Islamic State and other militant groups in Syria has reinforced Assad. At the same time, the air strikes haven’t achieved the progress on the ground that officials in Moscow expected and the U.S. has urged Russia to change its stance to avoid a quagmire in Syria. Assad only controls a quarter of Syrian territory, though about 60 percent of its population, after almost five years of civil war that has killed about 300,000 people and displaced millions.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-12-14/russia-u-s-struggle-over-syria-divide-as-kerry-to-meet-putin
