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Elusive US-Russia deal on Syria may again prove out of reach

US Secretary of State John Kerry had been expected to travel to Geneva to try to finalize a deal with Russia for a nationwide cease-fire in Syria this week, but hopes for concluding the accord appear once again to have been lowered.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry address the media before a meeting in Vienna, Austria, November 14, 2015. World and regional powers, including officials from Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Europe are meeting in Vienna on Saturday in a bid to step up diplomatic efforts to end the four-year old conflict in Syria.   REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - RTS6Z3L

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State John Kerry had been expected to head to Geneva to try to finalize a deal with Russia to restore a nationwide cease-fire in Syria that could be announced later this week, but US officials cautioned Sept. 7 that the prospects for a deal again looked less likely, though they said the situation remains very fluid.

The Russian Foreign Ministry apparently announced that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kerry would meet in Geneva on Sept. 8-9. But State Department spokesman Mark Toner told journalists that while Kerry and Lavrov spoke by phone for 45 minutes Sept. 7, he had no travel yet to announce.

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