Reuters, Moscow :Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday credited cooperation between the two countries for some successes in the conflict in Syria.Speaking at the beginning of talks in Moscow, Kerry said the United States looked forward to making progress in peace talks in Geneva and to begin the “very serious and difficult work” of a political transition in Syria.”The serious approach that we have been able to cooperate on has made a difference to the life of people in Syria and to the possibilities of making progress on peace,” Kerry told Putin.”The people of Syria and the people of the region have as a result been able to taste and smell the possibilities of what it means to have a huge reduction of violence and receive humanitarian assistance,” he added.At a midnight news conference with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kerry said this week’s terrorist attacks in Belgium bolstered determination to bring stability to Syria. The Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the Brussels attacks, holds substantial territory in Syria.The attacks “are a stark reminder – they are a violent reminder of what we are trying to do,” Kerry said.Lavrov said, “We have agreed to continue coordinating activity toward fixing the cessation of hostilities regime.”Kerry said the U.S. and Russia will press for expanded humanitarian access in Syria and agreed that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government and its opponents need to begin releasing detainees as soon as possible.They agreed on a schedule for drafting a political solution and said the next step in U.N.-brokered Geneva peace talks on Syria is to firm up how a political transition would work.At the start of his meeting with Putin, which lasted more than four hours, Kerry hailed a cease-fire in Syria brokered by the U.S. and Russia, saying it had allowed Syrians “to taste and smell the possibilities of what it means to have a huge reduction in violence and to receive humanitarian assistance.”U.S. officials “obviously also have some ideas about this and how we can most effectively make progress in Geneva and begin the very serious and difficult work of the transition,” Kerry said.In a playful start to the talks, Putin noted that Kerry walked off the plane carrying his briefcase himself and joked that he may have brought some cash to bargain with Russia.Kerry replied, “When we have a private moment I will show you what’s in my briefcase and I think you will be surprised.” He later told reporters that contents of his briefcase were “a secret” between himself and Putin.In his comments, Putin said he hoped for a constructive discussion that would “allow us to make our positions on Syria and Ukraine closer.” He also said progress on Syria that has been made so far was the result of President Barack Obama’s position but did not elaborate.The main Syrian opposition group wrapped up the latest round of indirect peace talks on Thursday by urging Russia to “use its leverage” on Assad’s government to fulfil international hopes for a political transition.The United States and Russia have been at odds over Syria since the conflict began more than five years ago, with Washington demanding Assad’s ouster and Moscow saying it is up to the Syrian people to determine their leadership.
