Lavrov, Annan reaffirm commitment to peaceful Syrian settlement

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Special Envoy of the UN and Arab League Kofi Annan have had a telephone conversation where they touched upon the situation in Syria. This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The two diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful settlement and stressed the need for international efforts to achieve this.

In this connection Lavrov emphasized Moscow's initiative to convene an intentional conference on Syria with the participation of all key sides.

In turn, the Deputy FM Gennady Gatilov said earlier that Russia and the U.S. have found common ground on the Syrian settlement. Bilateral consultations on this issue took place in Moscow on Friday.

Since April, a ceasefire was declared in the country in accordance with the Kofi Annan plan, which UN observers were called upon to monitor. However, the parties to the conflict regularly report of recurring armed incidents and victims.

Russia and U.S. find common ground on Syrian issue - Gatilov

Russia and the U.S. have found common ground on the issue of a Syrian settlement. This was announced Friday by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on the results of bilateral consultations in Moscow.

"I hope that together we can find a political solution to the crisis. At least, in the course of the conversation we were able to find common ground on many aspects" - the diplomat wrote in his Twitter microblog.

Russia on Thursday tabled an initiative at the United Nations to convene an emergency international conference on Syria to encourage dialogue between the authorities and the armed opposition.

Since April, a ceasefire was declared in the country in accordance with the Kofi Annan plan, which UN observers were called upon to monitor. However, the parties to the conflict regularly report of recurring armed incidents and victims.

TASS, RIA