US, Russia to meet in New York on Syria confab in late September

Russia and the United States are to meet again later this month in an effort to set a date for the long-delayed Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, made the announcement on Friday during a joint press conference with UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Geneva.

“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.

US and Russian officials are expected to meet in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
The Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria, proposed by Russia and the US in May, has failed so far to take place as Syria’s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over taking part in the planned event.

The recent announcement was made ahead of the second day of Moscow-Washington negotiations in Geneva regarding the recent Russian proposal that Syria’s chemical arms be placed under international supervision.

The meeting was held at the invitation of Brahimi. The three sides discussed the latest developments in Syria and described the talks as constructive.

On Thursday, Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja’afari said Damascus has become a full member of the Chemical Weapons Convention. President Bashar al-Assad has also said that his country would submit the documents on joining the global treaty in a few days.