WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his counterpart from Saudi Arabia, as well as a delegation from the Syrian opposition in Moscow regarding rebooting the settlement process for ending Syria’s civil war.
"That the Russian Foreign Minister is willing to have that discussion is a positive sign," State Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday when asked if Russia’s actions would undermine US-led efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict.
Secretary of State John Kerry, the official added, welcomes Russia’s efforts, but is under no illusions about how hard it will be to find a political solution in Syria that meets the needs of all parties involved.
On Friday, the opposition met with Lavrov in Moscow where Syrian delegate Haytham Manna called for developing a new settlement process that "will open new horizons for the Syrian people," which Manna referred to as a "Geneva-3."
Earlier in the week, Lavrov met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir. Saudi and Russian officials agreed to assist in further negotiations between Damascus and the opposition.
Syria's warring parties have met twice over the last three years at UN-backed Geneva conferences, but failed to reach a practical solution toward ending the violence that has already killed more than 250,000 people, according to UN figures.
