Russia seeks 'honest' cooperation - Lavro

pulse

November 2, 2016 10:46 AM

Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since the start of the Syrian conflict in March 2011 At least 15 civilians were reported killed when two bombs fell several minutes apart, near a tent where people were receiving condolences for those killed this week.

Russia seeks "honest cooperation" for a political solution in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday as Moscow declared a brief truce in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo.

"We hope our partners will draw (the) necessary conclusions (so that) we will all aim for honest cooperation... for a political process involving both the government and opposition forces," Lavrov said at the start of an official visit to Greece.

However, he insisted that Washington help enforce a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning support for extremist groups in Syria.

"When we adopted this resolution, I remember US Secretary of State John Kerry's words. He said: 'Whoever wants to be part of (the political) process must sever links to terrorists'," Lavrov said through a translator.

"Almost a year has passed and we await these words to be carried out," he added.

Russia has accused the US-led coalition of failing to rein in hardline Syrian rebels, warning that the chances of a political settlement to the crisis was now remote.

In turn, the West has accused Moscow of committing possible war crimes in Aleppo through indiscriminate bombing to support a brutal Syrian government offensive.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces.

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