US, Russia Enter Third Day of Syria Talks

Local Editor

The United States and Russia were Saturday to hold a third day of complex talks, seeking to hammer out a deal on Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons, amid persistent differences.

During their second day of talks in Geneva on Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov shuttled with their delegations in and out of talks, breaking up around 2:00 am to allow the weary delegations to catch a few hours sleep.
The two sides "made progress in coming closer to agreement on the scope of the chemical weapons stockpile," a senior US administration official said.

The US estimated that Syria possesses around 1,000 metric tons of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX.
The Russian estimates had been initially much lower, the official said, without giving a figure.
"It's the same questions of what is it, where is it, how do we track it down, can we account for it, those are all part of the discussions," said a senior State Department official.
"We're obviously at a pivotal point."

Washington and Moscow were also "working hard to find common ground" to get peace talks going in Geneva that would bring together the Syrian regime and the opposition to end the war which erupted in March 2011, Kerry said Friday.
He will meet again with Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, with the hope of setting a date for the peace conference, he said.
Taking a breather from the intense diplomacy, Kerry set off on a brisk walk from his luxury hotel to Lake Geneva early Saturday, taking a few close aides and his security staff with him.

Arriving back at the hotel, he told reporters "we're working hard" as he rushed through the lobby and back to his suite.
Following the Geneva talks, Kerry will fly to the Zionist entity to brief "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

As the diplomatic drive intensifies, he will then travel to Paris to meet French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and British Foreign Secretary William Hague as well as the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.
Syria has filed documents at the United Nations seeking to join the international convention banning chemical weapons and said it now considers itself a full member.

A spokesman for the Hague-based OPCW said it will meet next week to examine Syria's request.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team