US, Russia close on Syria deal, but Obama says not there yet

The United States is skeptical an agreement with Russia to decease violence in Syria can work but will keep pursuing it nonetheless, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

US President Barack Obama said on Sunday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in China that the US and Russia still have "grave differences" about what's needed to end Syria's civil war and which opposition groups are legitimate targets for the US and Russian militaries. But he said "it is worth trying."

"We're not there yet," Obama said. "I think it's premature for us to say there's a clear path forward, but there's the possibility at least for us to make some progress."

A deal could be announced as early as Sunday by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said a senior US State Department official, adding that the two countries were close to a deal but still had unresolved issues. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly and requested anonymity.

Though negotiators have been hopeful a deal could come together while world leaders are gathered in Hangzhou for the G20, that optimism has been tempered by the failure of previous ceasefire deals to hold. The US has long been wary of increasing military coordination with Russia in Syria's civil war because it says Russia continues striking moderate, US-backed opposition groups in a bid to prop up Assad. The US wants Russia to focus exclusively on Daesh and al-Qaida-linked groups.

Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to huddle on the sidelines of the summit, the White House said.

For Obama, a military partnership with Russia would mark a significant change. When Russia started bombing targets in Syria last year, the US declared the intervention an act of desperation and said its coalition fighting Daesh wasn't coordinating with Moscow. The minimal cooperation focused on avoiding mid-air collisions between Russian and coalition planes.

Discussions about the intractable Syria conflict and the related fight against Daesh have been a major focus as world leaders gather for the G20, which brings together the world's major economies. Obama met first Sunday with new British Prime Minister Theresa May, then with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their first sit-down since failed coup in his country in July.

Source: MENA