(VOVworld) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday he had "no special expectations" for Saturday's talks on the Syria crisis that will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, because Moscow had not yet seen reciprocal steps from its Western partners.
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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) is seen after a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. (photo: REUTERS/Osman Orsal)
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Lavrov said Russia does not intend to put forward new initiatives on resolving the conflict in Syria. Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed this week to hold the meeting in Switzerland to consider what further steps could be taken to achieve a resolution of the Syria conflict. Foreign ministers from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran could also take part in the talks.
In another development at least 15 people were killed on Friday by suspected US-led air strike on Syria's northern province of al-Raqqa, the stronghold of the Islamic State (IS). The warplanes, believed to be from the US-led anti-terror coalition, struck areas in the town of Dahham in the northeastern countryside of al-Raqqa, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UK-based watchdog group said the death toll could likely rise due to the large number of wounded people.