Kerry: Syria Talks should go ahead on Time

Local Editor

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday Washington believes that UN-sponsored peace talks should go ahead Monday despite "perceived" truce violations by Syrian government forces, according to a US pool reporter accompanying Kerry.

Speaking after breakfast with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry said Russian and American monitors were to meet in Amman and Geneva Saturday to try to further reduce violence in Syria, and that he planned to request a call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Asked if the talks can go ahead as planned despite ceasefire violations, Kerry said: "Yes, it can."

"Our teams are meeting today with Russia in both Geneva and Amman, where very detailed lay downs will take place regarding these allegations, and I am requesting a call with Foreign Minister Lavrov today and we will work through these and we have been each day," he added.

Syria's main opposition group said it would attend the talks in Geneva Monday.

Kerry, who flew to Saudi Arabia Friday for talks with King Salman and other senior officials, said the level of violence "by all accounts has been reduced by 80 to 90 percent, which is very, very significant. And what we want to do is continue to work to reduce these."

Kerry also said that a US meeting with the foreign ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] would take place at some point in next few weeks in the region, but gave no date or precise venue.

The US pool reporter said that both Kerry and Jubeir said that all present had agreed to push hard on the Syria talks, for a return to UN-sponsored peace talks to try to end the war in Yemen, and to develop plans to help Libya overcome its crisis.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team