(VOVworld) – US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia's troop withdrawal from Syria, along with the opening of UN-mediated Syria talks in Geneva, may be "the best opportunity" to end the conflict.
 

Russian and Syrian servicemen line up near military jets during a ceremony dedicated to the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria at Hmeymim airbase, Syria, March 15, 2016. Reuters/Russian Ministry of Defence/Vadim Grishankin/Handout via Reuters

He said sustainable peace for Syria is unachievable without a true political handover. Kerry spoke of an important phase in the Geneva talks which would be the best opportunity in years to end the Syria crisis.
Kerry will visit Russia next week to discuss Syria, after Moscow began withdrawing most of its forces from the country.

On Tuesday the White House said the US was watching Russia’s troop withdrawal but it was too early to talk about the impact on either Syria’s civil war or the Middle East in general. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a regular press conference that Russia had not informed the US of its decision in advance so the US could not make any prediction.