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Kerry, Lavrov Discuss Transition Process in Syria
[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, current Secretary of State... finally talked Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had been unavailable for days after the  North Korean nuclear test, the State Department said.The two spent about a half an hour on the phone talking about the situation in Syria and the North Korean test, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "They also agreed to compare calendars to try to set a first bilateral meeting in the coming weeks," she said. The conversation ended a week-long diplomatic dance in which the new secretary's overtures met with silence from his hard-to-get Russian counterpart. On Syria, Nuland said they discussed the importance of using their respective influence "in support of a viable transition process." The two countries have been at sharp odds over Syria, with Moscow defending longtime ally  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... and Washington pressing for his ouster and providing political support to the Syrian opposition. "The secretary underscored the urgency of ending the bloodshed, preventing further deterioration of the institutions of the state, and protecting the rights of all Syrians and helping them to resist extremism and further sectarian strife," she said. Posted by: Fred 2013-02-18 |
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