GENEVA: In an effort to set a date for the long-delayed Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria, the United States and Russia will meet again in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting later this month.
This was announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a joint press conference with UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in the Swiss city of Geneva on Friday.
“We both agreed … to meet again in New York around the time of the UN General Assembly around the 28th [of September] in order to see if it is possible then to find a date for that conference,” Kerry said.
The Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria has so far failed to take place as Syria’s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over taking part in the planned event.
On the other hand, Lavrov and Kerry held a meeting at the invitation of Brahimi in Geneva to discuss the details of a Russian proposal designed to put Syrian chemical weapons under international supervision.
The two sides discussed the latest developments in Syria and described the talks as constructive.