GENEVA - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told press on Friday that talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had made much headway, with minor details remaining to be addressed in view of brokering a new cessation of hostilities for war-torn Syria.
"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward," Kerry told press late Friday evening.
"We have completed the vast majority of those technical discussions which were primarily focused on making this cessation of hostilities real, and improving the level of humanitarian assistance, thereby getting the parties to the table so we can have a serious negotiation about how to end this war," he added.
Lavrov confirmed that the long day of meetings in a luxurious hotel in Geneva had enabled both delegations to make progress.
"We still need to finalize minor issues, that is why our experts will continue in Geneva next week," he said.
These face-to-face discussions followed Kerry's meeting with Lavrov in Moscow last month, a meeting the Russian side described as "very useful" on Friday.
Lavrov also reminded that that dialogue is key to build trust and reduce areas of misunderstanding between both nations. (Xinhua)