US-Russia deal on Syria needs 'true' ceasefire: Carter

Washington is willing to cooperate with Moscow to end the Syrian conflict but only if there is first a "true cessation" of hostilities, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday. Ahead of an expected meeting in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Carter told BBC radio there was "quite a long way to go" before a deal could be struck. "If an agreement was reached it would result in a number of steps, importantly including a cessation of hostilities that could ultimately lead to greater cooperation between the United States and the Russian military," he said.

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