US stepping up push for ceasefire, aid in Syria
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State John Kerry will push to secure an immediate Syrian ceasefire and aid for civilians ahead of a crucial meeting in Munich this week as he seeks to keep a fragile peace process alive, US officials said.
The renewed struggle to salvage diplomacy comes as Syrian opposition figures, Western diplomats and analysts voice concern that peace efforts have been all but doomed by a Russian military push that has shored up Syrian President Bashar Assad's hold on power.
Kerry's approach, which will need Russia's backing to succeed, is aimed at giving the opposition enough breathing space so that they come back to the negotiating table following the suspension of peace talks in Geneva last week.
"Kerry believes that if we can get a ceasefire in place and more aid delivered, other diplomatic progress is possible," a senior US administration official said.
"It's hard to get dialogue going when people are being killed and starved to death."
