Syria: Russia And US Push For New Peace Talks

The US Secretary Of State says America and Russia are "committed to working together" to solve the Syrian crisis and have agreed to push for a peace conference aimed at ending the war.

John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are holding a second day of talks in Geneva where they are working on a plan to remove Syria's chemical weapons and avert American military action.

They held discussions this morning with UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi before the main meeting.

After the talks, Mr Kerry said the US and Russia agreed to meet again in New York later this month to try to set a date for a long-delayed peace conference.

"We are committed to trying to work together, beginning with this initiative on the chemical weapons, in hopes that those efforts could pay off and bring peace and stability to a war-torn part of the world," Mr Kerry told a joint news briefing.

But he said the chances for a peace conference "will obviously depend on the capacity to have success here...on the subject of the chemical weapons."

L to R: Mr Lavrov, Mr Brahimi and Mr Kerry

The peace talks, first proposed during Mr Kerry's visit to Moscow earlier this year, have failed so far to materialise, while the fighting on the ground in Syria has intensified.

But the issue of chemical weapons was set to dominate the day, after Syria earlier applied to join the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The treaty bans the production, use and stockpiling of chemical weapons, but Syria's opposition National Coalition said it was "deeply sceptical" about the move.

"Such a gesture comes as too little, too late to save civilians from the regime's murderous intent and is clearly an attempt to evade international action as well as accountability in front of the Syrian people," the umbrella group said.

However Russia, Iran and China have welcomed Syria's decision to join the treaty.

The Syrian leader said US threats must stop if he is to give up weapons

"I would like to express hope that it will be a very serious step on the path to solving the Syrian crisis," Russian leader Vladimir Putin said.

The UN also welcomed Syria's move - the first stage of a four-point plan -  but said that it could take 30 days for it to become a member.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has also said the process of surrendering the stockpile would begin when he hands over information on the weapons in 30 days.

However, the US has firmly rejected that timetable and wants more immediate action.

Mr Kerry said despite 30 days being normal procedure, Syria's words were "simply not enough".

"There is nothing standard about this process," he added.

Supporters of Mr Assad celebrated his birthday earlier this week

America's top diplomat is wary of any stalling tactics and said there could still be military strikes if the Syrian regime reneged on its promises.

"There ought to be consequences if it doesn't take place," Mr Kerry warned at a news conference.

Mr Assad managed to avert potential US strikes by agreeing to the deal, but denied being influenced by the military threat.

"Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia. The US threats did not influence the decision," the Syrian leader told Russian state TV.

After agreeing to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Syria must then declare exactly what weapons it has.

The third stage of the plan is for UN inspectors to visit the country and verify Mr Assad's declaration. The final stage is for the weapons to be destroyed.

Fierce conventional warfare continues in Damascus

The US claims a chemical gas attack on August 21 killed 1,429 people, but other estimates of the deaths are lower.

Syria and Russia blame the country's rebel forces for the atrocity.

The political wrangling comes as conventional fighting - such as rocket attacks and gun battles - continues in many of Syria's devastated towns and cities.

For those on the ground it is this type of warfare that is ripping the country apart.

"The reality is conventional weapons killed hundreds of thousands and made many millions of refugees," one soldier told Sky correspondent Alex Rossi, who is in Damascus.

"Nobody talks about that - only the use of chemicals."

Fighting in the northern city of Aleppo also remains as fierce as ever.

Government forces, bolstered by Hizbollah troops from neighbouring Lebanon, are ramping up their attack on the opposition stronghold.

The two-and-a-half-year civil war has claimed more than 100,000 lives and created more than two million refugees, according to recent UN figures.

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