Politics
10:54, 06-Jul-2017
Tillerson: US ready to discuss no-fly zones in Syria with Russia
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The United States is willing to cooperate with Russia to discuss joint efforts to stabilize the volatile situation in Syria, including cooperating on ensuring ceasefire and establishing no-fly zones, according to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday.
"If our two countries work together to establish stability on the ground, it will lay a foundation for progress on the settlement of Syria's political future," Tillerson said in a statement.
Washington also wants to discuss with Russia the possibility of dispatching on-the-ground observers to monitor truces and coordinating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.
US President Donald Trump will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in this week's G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. Syria will be on their agenda during their meeting, Tillerson said.
While not making any mention of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tillerson did note that Russia has an obligation to prevent any further use of chemical weapons of any kind by the Syrian government.
Damascus has been blamed for using what is believed to be nerve agent sarin in an attack on Khan Sheikhoun in north-western Syria on April this year – allegations that the Syrian government has staunchly denied but triggered military action by Washington.
The US green-lit a tomahawk strike on a Syrian air base from where the planes that carried the suspected chemical attack took off.
(With inputs from Reuters)