Eurasia Press & News
US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday called for “localised ceasefires” in Syria ahead of peace talks later this month in Switzerland.
Lavrov and UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi also said Damascus ally Iran should take part in the so-called Geneva II talks due to start in Montreux on January 22, after a meeting in Paris.
“We talked today about the possibility of trying to encourage a ceasefire, maybe a localised ceasefire beginning with Aleppo (north of Syria),” Kerry said.
Both said they hoped ceasefires could be in place before the talks, along with plans for prisoner exchanges and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
“What can be done before the beginning of the conference should be done,” Lavrov said.
“We are going to try to send signals to all the Syrian sides on the need for the establishment of a localised ceasefire.”
