MESOP : 5 MINUTES AGO / THE KERRY – PUTIN AGREEMENT ON SYRIA

Kerry and Putin agree over need to push for political transition in Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – 25 March 2016 – RUDAW : Following four hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin the United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced that both Washington and Moscow have agreed that a draft version of a new Syrian constitution should be drafted by August.“We agreed on a target schedule for establishing a framework for a political transition and also a draft constitution, both of which we targeted by August,” Kerry told a joint press conference he held with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Kerry also said that he and Putin also agreed that they would push both sides of the Syrian conflict represented in the Geneva peace talks to reach a political transition soon rather than later. Lavrov also said that both countries would exert their influence to compel Damascus and the opposition to conduct “direct talks” in Geneva aimed at bringing about “a transitional governance structure.” Both sides have engaged in indirect talks in the last two weeks before leaving Geneva ahead of the next round of talks set to begin in April.Kerry and Lavrov said that want to uphold the ceasefire in Syria which has largely remained in place since it was implemented last February 27 after being brought about by successful US-Russian brokerage. www.mesop.de