Kerry “hopes to reveal Syria plan with Russia in August”

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday, July 26 he hoped to announce in early August details of a U.S. plan for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing with Russia on Syria, Reuters reports.

Kerry, speaking after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian nations in Laos, said there had been progress in recent days on moving forward with the plan.

The proposal envisages Washington and Moscow sharing intelligence to coordinate air strikes against the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and prohibit the Syrian air force from attacking moderate rebel groups.

"My hope is that somewhere in early August we would be in a position to stand up in front of you and tell you what we're able to do with the hopes it can make a difference to lives of people in Syria and to the course of the war," Kerry told a news conference in the capital Vientiane.

During the discussions, he and Lavrov outlined the next stage of implementing the plan, including a series of technical-level meetings to address concerns by the U.S. military and intelligence community, Reuters says.

"We are doing our homework, and a lot of that homework has been done in the last few days, and I will tell you has been done successfully," Kerry said.

Kerry's State Department and White House allies say the plan is the best chance to limit the fighting that is driving thousands of Syrian civilians, with some trained Islamic State fighters mixed in, into exile in Europe, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more.