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US-Russian Talks over Syria, Moscow: Damascus To Cooperate with UN Chemical Experts

US-Russian Talks over Syria, Moscow: Damascus To Cooperate with UN Chemical Experts
folder_openSyria access_time10 years ago
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Russia on Friday said it had told the Syrian government to cooperate with UN experts after reports of a deadly chemical weapons attack outside Damascus, adding it was now up to armed groups to allow access to the area.


US-Russian Talks over Syria, Moscow: Damascus To Cooperate with UN Chemical ExpertsForeign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US counterpart John Kerry in a phone call that immediately after the reports first emerged the "Russian side called on the Syrian government to cooperate with the UN chemical experts," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It is now up to the opposition to ensure safe access for the mission to the site of the alleged incident," it added, saying both Lavrov and Kerry agreed on the need for an "objective investigation".

Meanwhile, senior Russian and US diplomats are set to meet at The Hague on August 28 to discuss ways to end the ongoing crisis in Syria.

The US Department of State announced the exact date of the previously reported meeting on Thursday.
According to the report, State Department Undersecretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford will represent Washington during the talks, while the Russian delegation will include Deputy Foreign Ministers Gennady Gatilov and Mikhail Bogdanov.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the ambassador to Syria will also hold talks with leaders of Syria's foreign-backed opposition coalition in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Sunday.
The August 28 talks are scheduled to focus on preparations for the long-delayed Geneva 2 conference on the Syrian issue, which was proposed by Washington and Moscow on May 7.

On August 19, Gatilov said, "The aim of this meeting is to bilaterally compare our positions on organizing the conference. We'll discuss an entire range of issues relating to it."
However, a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria would also be discussed in the meeting.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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