US And Russia Fail To Strike Deal On Syria

The United States and Russia have failed to reach an agreement on military co-operation and a cessation of hostilities in Syria.

After over nine hours of talks in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they had "achieved clarity on the path forward", but still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be
reached.

They said teams on both sides would try to finalise details in coming days.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Mr Kerry said: "We don't want to have a deal for the sake of the deal. We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution."

Mr Lavrov echoed his American counterpart, saying that "very important steps" had been made on a deal to stop the violence.

The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate.

In the days ahead the technical teams, which include US and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the US and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis.

President Assad's future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria.

"If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al Nusra Front," Mr Kerry said.

Mr Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more.