Lavrov: Russia has not yet agreed with U.S. on Syria
By Sabina Idayatova
Russia and the United States have not yet agreed on a common position over the situation in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday after talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Cambodia.
"There is no common ground yet," Lavrov said.
The Russian minister told journalists that during the meeting he had not heard any definite answer from Secretary Clinton over a future settlement of the Syrian conflict. According to Lavrov, the U.S. confirmed the implementation of Geneva agreements of the Action Group on Syria, but with "some ultimatums."
According to the UN, at least 30,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict, which began in March 2012.
The West is pushing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's resignation, while Russia and China intend to prevent outside interference in Syria, blaming both the Assad regime and the opposition for triggering the killing of innocent people. Veto-wielding Moscow and Beijing have blocked UN Security Council resolutions on Syria three times.
In addition to the Syria crisis, Lavrov and Clinton discussed US President Barack Obama's visit to Russia, ballistic missile defense and the situation in Gaza.
"We hope that the visit will take place next year, and we will be able to begin to coordinate its terms soon," Lavrov said after the talks.
During the discussions over the situation in Gaza the parties came to a common view to hold a meeting with the Middle East Quartet -- the United Nations, Russia, the United States, and the European Union, which is mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the ministerial level with the participation of the Arab League, as soon as the current crisis is settled.
Lavrov found it difficult to say how quickly the situation would be resolved in the region, noting that Russia and the U.S. support the mediation efforts of Egypt and other countries. Lavrov particularly stressed that Russia "works both with representatives of Israel and Hamas."
"The U.S. confirms the position on seeking agreements with Russia on missile defense," Lavrov said, noting that Clinton had reaffirmed the Obama administration's stance on the issue.
Lavrov also said while commenting on his meeting with Clinton that the U.S. confirmed it is pursuing development of relations with Russia after Barack Obama's recent re-election.
The parties confirmed their commitment to the policy of developing investment cooperation and economic relations. Lavrov reportedly reiterated Moscow's proposal to remove barriers to business and, in particular, the Russian president's proposal to establish a mechanism for evaluating investment challenges that Russian entrepreneurs face in the U.S. and that US officials may encounter in Russia.
Lavrov noted that the US secretary of state, in turn, pledged to engage in this issue and also to deal with a few specific situations faced by Russian companies in the U.S.
Lavrov is paying a two-day official visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to participate in the seventh East Asian Summit (EAS).
"EAS was established in 2005 as a leading platform for policy dialogue on key issues of political settlement and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia proceeds from the fact that the forum should be a key element in the development of network diplomacy, building a network of partnerships between multilateral organizations and associations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said before the summit.
According to Lukashevich, the priority task is considered to be the creation of a regional system of relationships, which would be based on the rule of international law, equality and indivisibility of security.
The Russian foreign minister frequently visits the countries of south-eastern Asia. In the past few years he has taken part in numerous regional meetings held in different formats.