04 October 2016•Update: 05 October 2016
By Hasan Esen
BRUSSELS
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday pledged to continue to seek a “meaningful, sustainable, enforceable” cease-fire in Syria despite the suspension of talks with Russia.
Speaking in Brussels, Kerry criticized Moscow for its “irresponsible” decision to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“We are not giving up on the Syrian people and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace,” he said.
“We will continue to pursue a meaningful, sustainable, enforceable cessation of hostilities throughout the country -- and that includes the grounding of Syrian and Russian combat aircraft in designated areas.”
A U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire fell apart last month following the bombing of a UN aid convoy and on Monday the U.S. said it was pulling out of talks with Russia over the latter’s refusal to fulfill its commitment to ending the fighting.
Kerry said de-confliction efforts between the U.S. and Russian militaries would continue in order to enhance the fight against Daesh.
However, he said that Russia and the Syrian regime “know exactly what they need to do to live up to international law and to meet the agreements that they have already several times announced publicly they would adhere to.”
Accusing Russia of ignoring Assad’s use of chlorine gas and barrel bombs against civilians, Kerry said the regime and Russia had rejected diplomacy. “People who are serious about making peace behave differently from the way Russia has chosen to behave,” he said.
A political solution was the only way to stop the bloodshed and preserve the possibility of a united Syria, Kerry added.
“We will work to create the conditions that allow for the resumption of talks between the parties.”
