Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva on Thursday to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov as part of his efforts to find diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis in place of a limited, targeted military strike against the Assad regime.
The announcement, form a senior State Department official, came after the Syrians accepted the Russian proposal to bring their chemical weapons under international control.
Kerry and Lavrov have been appointed by their respective Presidents as the point people on the Syrian chemical weapons issue, a senior US administration official said.
The two leaders have spoken at least nine times since the August 21 chemical weapons in Damascus area that killed more than 1,400 people including over 400 children.
The Kerry-Lavrov meeting move comes amidst a flurry of diplomatic activities following the Russian proposal that the chemical weapons of Syria be brought under international control.
The move received positive response from both the Assad regime and the Obama Administration.
In a Google hangout, Kerry said that any deal to transfer Syria`s chemical weapons must include a fully verifiable process.
"This cannot be a game, and that we have made very, very clear to the Russians," Kerry said.
In a series of interviews, US President Barack Obama had earlier said that he was willing to pause his military action against Syria if the Russian proposal moves through.
PTI
