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Conflict in Syria

Russian envoy to UN Office in Geneva praises Russian-US peace efforts on Syria

GENEVA, January 31, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia proceeds from the assumption that its joint work with the United States makes it possible to maintain the required dynamics of intra-Syrian talks, Alexei Borodavkin, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, said Friday.

“We are satisfied with the level of interaction with the American delegation and UN and Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi,” Borodavkin, who had led the Russian delegation at technical consultations that were part of the Geneva-2 international peace conference on Syria, said in an interview with Itar-Tass.

“Through joint efforts, we have repeatedly prevented delegations from making ill-considered steps and we have managed to overcome various technical and political difficulties,” he said.

The first round of the Geneva-2 peace conference opened on January 22, 2014 in the Swiss city of Montreux and ended on Friday in Geneva with no particular progress. The sides took a pause for consultations and are expected to resume talks on February 10.

Geneva-2 seeks to negotiate a solution to the Syrian crisis, which has claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions since its start in 2011.

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