MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the soonest resumption of the intra-Syrian talks and separation of the groups of Syria's moderate opposition and Nusra Front militants in a phone conversation with his US counterpart John Kerry on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Besides emphasizing the urgency of the separation of 'moderate' opposition from Nusra Front militants, as it had been promised by the United States long ago, Lavrov expressed concern about attempts to delay the resumption of political negotiations under various pretexts, which was displayed clearly in a briefing at the UN Security Council on Syria on June 3," the statement reads.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. The Syrian government and opposition's representatives have met several times during the course of the war for peace talks.
The ceasefire in Syria worked out by Russia and the United States took effect on February 27. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, outlawed in a number of countries worldwide including Russia and the United States.
