‘All or Nothing’: Kerry Demands Syria Ceasefire at Munich Talks

Major powers were beginning a new round of Syria peace talks on Thursday focusing on calls for a ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.

 

But with the Syrian opposition saying it cannot accept a truce in the current climate because it does not trust the Russians, diplomats saw little chance of progress at discussions in the German city of Munich.

 

A Western diplomat told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wanted an immediate ceasefire in Syria — “all or nothing” — although the Russians have proposed a truce from the beginning of next month.

 

Russia’s intervention on the battlefield on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad has swung the momentum of the fighting, allowing government forces to push the rebels on to the back foot and underlining Moscow’s influence over the future of the five-year-old war.

 

Read More: ‘All or Nothing’: Kerry Demands Syria Ceasefire at Munich Talks – NBC News