Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
July 4, 2018
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Russia on Wednesday that political dialogue and a ceasefire were priorities for southern Syria where he said a humanitarian catastrophe risked unfolding.
Safadi made the comment after holding talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
He said the situation in southern Syria was a cause for serious concern and needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
The Russian-backed Syrian government has mounted a campaign to recover southwestern Syria from rebels.
Syrian rebel negotiators began a new round of talks with Russian officers on Tuesday over a peace deal in southern Syria under which they would hand over weapons and allow Russian military police to enter rebel-held towns.
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Writing by Polina Nikolskaya; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
