GENEVA: The US and Russia conducted last-minute negotiations Thursday over a fresh bid for a Syrian peace deal ahead of an expected high-level meeting in Geneva.
Foreign ministers from the two powers, which support opposite sides in the five-year conflict, were poised to hold a “personal meeting” in the Swiss city to push for a peace agreement, according to the Russian side.
However, Washington did not confirm the face-to-face talks, with a spokesman for US Secretary of State John Kerry saying that negotiations were still ongoing.
And US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told BBC radio on Thursday there was “quite a long way to go” before a final deal could be struck.
Both sides have agreed that a deal would involve a durable ceasefire, humanitarian access to conflict-wracked areas and a resumption of peace talks. The Syria war has pitted the old Cold War rivals against each other, with Russia flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian strongman leader Bashar al-Assad and the United States backing rebel groups fighting to oust him from power. —Agencies
