US - Russia fail to reach agreement on Syria issue

(Baonghean.vn) - A senior US State Department official said on September 5 that US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov were unable to reach a ceasefire agreement in Syria after a sideline meeting in China.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Reuters

Details of the negotiations between representatives of the two countries have not yet been released. The US side refused to explain the disagreements between the two countries that prevented an agreement from being reached.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it will not agree to a ceasefire if opposition forces backed by the US and its Middle Eastern allies do not agree to withdraw from certain areas.

This is the second time in the past two weeks that Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov have failed to reach a ceasefire agreement in Syria. The previous talks took place on August 26 in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Kerry had previously stated that the US would not accept any other agreement if the two countries continued to disagree once again after the meeting in Geneva.

A previous ceasefire in Syria brokered by Lavrov and Kerry that took effect in February 2016 ended weeks ago after Washington accused President Bashar al-Assad's forces of violating its terms.

According to experts, Russia and the US will likely continue to discuss the Syria issue at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to take place in New York from September 18.

Thanh Hien

(According to Reuters)