Kerry in Meeting with Zarif Sees New Chance to Resolve Syria Crisis

Sun Sep 27, 2015 11:08:26

US Secretary of State John Kerry in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced he deems the 70th UN General Assembly an opportunity for progress towards ending Syria’s years-long conflict.

“I view this week as a major opportunity for any number of countries to play an important role in trying to resolve some of the very difficult issues of the Middle East,” Kerry told reporters on Saturday, after meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the event.

“We need to achieve peace and a way forward in Syria, in Yemen ... in the region," he said. "There are opportunities this week, through these discussions, to make some progress.”

According to Western officials, Kerry is seeking to launch a new initiative to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict, in light of the recent refugee crisis that has spilled over to Europe.

This is while, according to US officials, Washington is updating its contingency plans for a potential war with Russia for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union

Citing current and former Pentagon officials, the Foreign Policy magazine reported last week that the US Defense Department is re-evaluating its Cold War era military plans following increasing tensions between Washington and Moscow over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

Earlier, the White House said that there is no military solution to the years-long Syrian crisis and sought cooperation from Russia to address the deadly conflict in the Arab country.

Washington "remains open to tactical, practical discussions" with Moscow over the fight against the ISIL terrorist group in Syria, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters; Press TV reported.

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