- Title: Kerry calls for Syria peace talks after meeting Russia's Lavrov and Pope
- Date: 2nd December 2016
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (DECEMBER 2, 2016) (REUTERS) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN KERRY, AND ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, PAOLO GENTILONI, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE KERRY AND GENTILONI AT PODIUM MEDIA AND STAFF LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN KERRY, SAYING: "Hopefully if humanitarian situation can be dealt with in Aleppo more effectively and if indeed we could create a framework for the passage of people out of Aleppo so that Aleppo itself might be relieved from this agony that could open up the space to perhaps to be able to start some kind of conversation in Geneva. That is Staffan De Mistura's goal, that is our goal, it is the apparent Russian goal, we don't know if it's (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad's goal at all but that is what has to be put to task over the course of the next few days." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN KERRY, SAYING: "I don't want to disappoint you but I'm just not going to speculate on intent or motives or what somebody's thinking about the next weeks or months. The only thing that matters is what if anything can be agreed upon that is real, that requires people to do certain things. So, it is actions that will speak louder than words. And I'm not going to prognosticate on that because obviously there have been many disappointments and I think speculation doesn't serve any purpose. We are going to pursue the discussion that we had today and we'll see where it winds up." KERRY AND GENTILONI SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING PODIUM KERRY AND GENTILONI LEAVING
- Embargoed: 17th December 2016 19:35
- Keywords: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Syria Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni Rome
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVA0015B70MDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged continued efforts to secure peace in Syria on Friday (December 2), on a trip to Rome where he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Pope Francis.
Fierce fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo has added to a humanitarian crisis in a civil war that has raged between President Bashar-al Assad's forces and rebels since 2011.
Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, has been in talks for about two weeks with the rebels to ease conditions in Aleppo, but an opposition official said on Friday that Moscow was procrastinating.
Kerry, who will relinquish his government post when President-elect Donald Trump moves in to the White House on Jan. 20, also met United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
One of the aims discussed on Friday was to create a framework that would allow people to leave Aleppo safely, and eventually bring the parties to Geneva for talks.
"Hopefully if humanitarian situation can be dealt with in Aleppo more effectively and if indeed we could create a framework for the passage of people out of Aleppo so that Aleppo itself might be relieved from this agony, that could open up the space to perhaps to be able to start some kind of conversation in Geneva. That is Staffan De Mistura's goal, that is our goal, it is the apparent Russian goal, we don't know if it's Assad's goal at all but that is what has to be put to task over the course of the next few days," Kerry told reporters at a joint news conference with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
Kerry said it was time for concrete actions.
"I don't want to disappoint you but I'm just not going to speculate on intent or motives or what somebody's thinking about the next weeks or months. The only thing that matters is what if anything can be agreed upon that is real, that requires people to do certain things. So, it is actions that will speak louder than words. And I'm not going to prognosticate on that because obviously there have been many disappointments and I think speculation doesn't serve any purpose. We are going to pursue the discussion we had today and we'll see where it winds up," he said.
At a separate news conference with Lavrov, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni called for commitment to stopping the violence in Syria, saying it would not be possible to build a transition on the ashes of Aleppo. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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