Post date: May 09, 2013 7:37:21 PM
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hints there will be a second international meeting to try and bring about an end to the war in Syria.
ROME, ITALY (MAY 9, 2013) (REUTERS) - The United States does not want Russia to sell weapons to Syria and has opposed transfers of missile systems to the country in the past because of the threat to Israel, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday (May 9).
Kerry did not specifically comment on a report that Russia was poised to sell new advanced ground-to-air missiles to the Syrian regime now engaged in a bloody civil war.But asked about the report, he said the United States has opposed arms deals in the past.
"I think we have made it crystal clear we would prefer that Russia was not supplying assistance," Kerry said at a news conference after meeting Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino.
Kerry came to Rome from Moscow, where the two countries agreed to seek new peace talks to endSyria's civil war.
On Thursday, Kerry said the United States was grateful to Russia for trying to arrange a second conference to end the war, perhaps in Geneva.
At a conference in Geneva last June, Washington and Moscow agreed on the need for a transitional government in Syria, but diplomacy has foundered since.