Russia wants U.S. to press Syria on peace talks

BERLIN -- Russia called on the United States yesterday to press the Syrian opposition to hold direct talks with Damascus, saying President Bashar al-Assad's opponents must appoint negotiators.

The crisis in Syria made up "the bulk of the conversation" between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry at talks Tuesday in Berlin, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Moscow and Washington sounded a rare note of accord over efforts to launch talks to end the nearly 2-year-old conflict, in which 70,000 people have been killed.

Lavrov said the new U.S. top diplomat seemed to grasp the gravity of the crisis in Syria and that the former Cold War foes had agreed to do everything in their power "to create the best conditions to facilitate the soonest possible start of a dialogue between the government and the opposition."

He said Russia wanted to see the Syrian opposition name its representatives for talks with the government at a meeting in Rome this week between the Syrian opposition, and Western and regional powers favorable to their cause.

-- Reuters