Putin meets Kerry in Moscow to discuss Syrian peace
July 15, 2016, 5:41 am

Putin and Kerry met for three hours at the Kremlin and their talks lasted until 1 a.m. local time on Friday [Image: PPIO]

Kerry met Putin for three hours at the Kremlin and their talks lasted until 1 a.m. local time on Friday.

“Hopefully we will be able to make some genuine progress that is measurable and implementable that can make a difference to events in Syria. I look forward to a serious conversation,” Kerry told journalists before talks with the Russian President began.

Putin and US President Barack Obama had discussed the Syrian crisis last week.

“I hope after today’s consultations you’ll be able to advise him of the progress made and possible headway for us to make,” Putin told Kerry on Friday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova refused to comment on media reports about a possible military and intelligence sharing deal between Russia and the US.

“Let’s not discuss what we do not know yet. Let Kerry bring the plans first,” she told the media in Moscow.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post published a leaked draft of the new Syrian plan Kerry would be discussing in Moscow, which includes “integrated operations” between the two countries, with a command center to be stationed in Amman, Jordan to fight against Daesh (Islamic State) and the Al-Nusra front. The Nusra Front is al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

According to the leaked document, the two countries will form a Joint Implementation Group (JIG) whose “purpose is to enable expanded coordination between the United States and the Russian Federation beyond the established safety of flight procedures.”

Kerry will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday.

TBP and Agencies