(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed a variety of international issues, ranging from fight against Islamic State (or ISIL) to volatile situation in Ukraine and Iranian nuclear talks that begin this week in Vienna.
The men met at the US Ambassador's residence Tuesday in Paris and held concrete talks on all subjects, diplomatic and media sources said.
In comments after the meeting, Kerry said that he had discussed the fight against ISIL with Lavrov and they had made a commitment on intelligence sharing between the US and Russia regarding this problem.
A number of Russians, mainly from Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, have joined ISIL ranks in the fight against the Damascus regime, a battle that has now been brought to Iraq.
Additionally, Kerry told the press that there was no difference of approach between the US and Turkey over how to bring the fight to ISIL and "no discrepancy" between the governments of the two countries. There had been speculation that Washington was unhappy that Turkey would not send ground troops to Ain Al-Arab, or Kobane, to help Kurdish forces fighting ISIL troops there. Turkey has so far remained uninvolved but has called for a security corridor in the area to help displaced people.
The two Foreign Ministers, who are both part of the "5+1" group in nuclear talks with Iran, also discussed the forthcoming round of negotiations with Tehran this week in Vienna.
Kerry heads to the Austrian capital on Wednesday for meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the US official was relatively upbeat about the possibility of grinding out an agreement before the deadline of November 24. That deadline, like in previous cases, could be moved back my mutual agreement.
Kerry said Tuesday that there were "difficult questions to resolve" but that they did not put an agreement "out of reach." The atmosphere for the talks with Lavrov was also positive on the Ukrainian crisis as Kerry affirmed that Russia was indeed withdrawing troops from eastern Ukraine and this was a key step to de-escalating the situation.
The US official said that Russia must also withdraw heavy military equipment and secure the border with Ukraine - presumably with monitors from the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Release of prisoners and hostages is also a requirement cited by Kerry before any lifting of sanctions on Russia can be looked at.
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