'All or Nothing': Kerry Demands Syria Ceasefire at Munich Talks
Source: Reuters
Major powers were beginning a new round of Syria peace talks on Thursday focusing on calls for a ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.
But with the Syrian opposition saying it cannot accept a truce in the current climate because it does not trust the Russians, diplomats saw little chance of progress at discussions in the German city of Munich.
A Western diplomat told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wanted an immediate ceasefire in Syria — "all or nothing" — although the Russians have proposed a truce from the beginning of next month.
Russia's intervention on the battlefield on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad has swung the momentum of the fighting, allowing government forces to push the rebels on to the back foot and underlining Moscow's influence over the future of the five-year-old war.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/all-or-nothing-kerry-wants-immediate-ceasefire-syria-n516726
Russia Makes Proposals For Syria Ceasefire, Awaits Reaction From US - Lavrov
Russia has made “specific proposals” on a ceasefire in Syria and is waiting for a reaction from the US, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
“We made proposals on implementing a ceasefire, quite specific ones,” Lavrov said. “We are waiting for a US response before putting them before the International Syria Support Group.”
Lavrov made the statement before meeting his US counterpart John Kerry on the eve of the start of the Munich Security Conference.
Following the meeting, the two diplomats instructed the experts to prepare “specific proposals” to be discussed at the meeting of the support group on Syria, Russia’s FM spokeswoman, Maria Zakharava, told reporters. She added that their talks had focused on how to reach a Syrian ceasefire and the country’s humanitarian situation.
Earlier on Thursday, Moscow said that negotiations about a possible ceasefire were still ongoing and no solution has yet been found.
"The process is very fragile, discussions are under way, one can't speak about unanimity in the process of a Syrian settlement," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call. His statement came in response to a question asking if Moscow had proposed March 1 as a possible date for the start of a ceasefire.
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https://www.rt.com/news/332142-russia-ceasefire-proposals-syria/
