UN-AL envoy reveals no new Syria plan during Moscow talks

The United Nations-Arab League joint envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi did not discuss his new settlement plan for the Syrian crisis during his recent visit to Moscow, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said Wednesday. "Brahimi actually has had many contacts in several capital cities, he was in the Middle East, in Syria and other countries. After visiting Moscow, he has left for Beijing. So after that round of consultations he might come up with some ideas. But he did not tell us anything specific," Russian Deputy FM Gennady Gatilov told reporters. Moscow believed the way out of Syrian crisis went through the Geneva agreement reached by the action group held on June 30, he said. "We believe it is still pertinent and provides a necessary base for further launch of the political settlement in Syria," Gatilov said. The diplomat added that Russia is ready for "any format of consultations" with its partners with the participation of the United States and Brahimi. The special envoy visited Moscow Monday and talked with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The two diplomats shared a common vision that the conflict in Syria had become a "real civil war" and the spiral of violence continued.