BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Russia and the United States to resume talks on Syria despite suspended collaboration because of violence on the ground.
"I strongly urge to resume their negotiations so that there will be a cessation of hostilities so that we can deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance. And that will also provide some momentum for confidence-building to initiate political dialogue," Ban said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
On Monday, the US State Department announced it was suspending bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain a cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said in a press briefing that Secretary John Kerry had informed Sergei Lavrov of the suspension.
