LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – New ideas proposed, more talks prepared and no quick resolution in sight for Syria’s agony.
A U.S.-hosted meeting of major world and regional powers made only piecemeal headway on creating a new, multilateral track for ending the beleaguered country’s grinding war.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened top diplomats from Russia and regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran on Saturday for a 4 1/2-hour meeting in Switzerland. The talks came amid heightened urgency about the city of Aleppo, the latest flashpoint in a war that has killed up to a half-million people, sparked a refugee crisis and offered a territorial base to the radical Islamic State group.
Kerry’s new approach comes after last month’s U.S.-Russian bid to end the war collapsed in days as Syrian forces backed by Russian airpower launched an offensive on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.
Ministers put a brave face on the Lausanne meeting, which Kerry said was “exactly what we wanted” – a statement that testified mostly to low expectations. The main result was pledges to resume contact on Monday.