Kerry, Lavrov say new Syria agreement close

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the situation in Syria had “dramatically deteriorated” since the “brief oasis of calm” following a cessation- of-hostilities agreement, and he promised that the U.S. and Russia were close to a new agreement on a more durable arrangement. Kerry spoke in Geneva after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister […]

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the situation in Syria had “dramatically deteriorated” since the “brief oasis of calm” following a cessation- of-hostilities agreement, and he promised that the U.S. and Russia were close to a new agreement on a more durable arrangement.
Kerry spoke in Geneva after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They discussed ways to agree on military cooperation and information sharing in a bid to defeat Islamic State militants in Syria – something both sides want.
Kerry said that Syrians benefited from the calm following the February accord, but that the gains were lost again when violations of the agreement began.