US and Russia 'achieve clarity' over future of Syria
US and Russia 'achieve clarity' over future of Syria
US and Russian officials are meeting in Geneva to discuss the implementation of a new Syrian ceasefire, which diplomats hope will end the country's five-year war.
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John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov in Genevea - August 26, 2016 [AFP]
US and Russian diplomats say they have "achieved clarity" about starting a new Syrian ceasefire, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward" Kerry told reporters after lengthy discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Despite this progress, the secretary of state added that neither Moscow nor Washington was ready to make a definitive announcement.
However, he added that technical experts from both sides would continue to meet in Geneva to seek clarity on a number of issues.
"We are working on those issues," Kerry said. "Neither of us is [ready] to make an announcement that is predicated by failure - we don't want to have a deal for the sake of a deal."
Daraya deal
For his part, Lavrov echoed Kerry's positive tone by hailing the "substantial agreements [that] had been reached," but also added that "some things need to be finalised".
Speaking on the near breakdown of the ceasefire agreed earlier this year, Kerry attributed it to a lack of response to violations and Damascus' continued efforts to reclaim territory.
This latest round of discussions of in Geneva came as thousands of residents and fighters began evacuating the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, which has been under regime siege since 2012.
This was part of a deal agreed between rebels and Syria's regime which was reached on Thursday. The agreement allowed for the evacuation of the entirety of the suburb's civilian population, who number around 4,000. A further 700 fighters were also among those evacuated.
This plan was enacted without prior consultation of the United Nations, drawing concerned remarks from the UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who was also present at the Geneva talks.
"It is imperative that people of Daraya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily," the special envoy said, underlining the UN's stance that civilians should only be evacuated if they voluntarily agree to do so and if their safety can be guaranteed.
Residents have criticised the US and UN for allowing the "ethnic cleansing" of the Damascus suburb, and blame Syrian regime bombing and blockade - with Russian military support - for starving them into submission.
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