Kerry Says Nice Attack Underscores Need for End to Syria Crisis Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov says dialogue with U.S. on Syria has become even more urgent By Felicia Schwartz see note
MOSCOW—At the start of a second day of discussions on a U.S. proposal for closer military cooperation with Russia in Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry invoked the attack in Nice to emphasize the urgency of bringing about an end to the crisis in Syria.
“Nowhere is there a greater hotbed or incubator for these terrorists than in Syria,” Mr. Kerry said Friday, at the top of a meeting with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “People all over the world are looking to us and waiting for us to find a faster and more tangible way of them feeling that everything that is possible is being done to end this terrorist scourge.”
Mr. Lavrov began the meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of the attack in Nice that killed dozens late Thursday.
He said the attacks in Nice made the dialogue with the U.S. “even more urgent and relevant” and said the discussions Thursday night with Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow for “an intensification of efforts to find a solution to the crisis and boosting efforts for more effective work,” according to Interfax news agency.
At the start of the meetings Friday it was unclear if the U.S. and Russia would agree on a deal to increase military cooperation in Syria in exchange for Russia using its influence to ground Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force.
Mr. Kerry described three hours of meetings with Mr. Putin on Thursday evening as “extremely frank and serious.”
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