US, Russian leaders to work on Syria ‘disagreements’

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will discuss differences over what to do about the conflict in Syria at a G20 summit next week, a top US official said Friday.

“Obviously disagreements persist with regard to Syria, but it will be a good opportunity for the presidents to meet and work it through,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, referring to the Mexico talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Friday Moscow has been discussing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s departure with Western nations, in comments seemingly aimed at quashing reports about a shift in its approach to Syria.

“No such discussions” about political transition in Syria had taken place, he said, a day after Nuland talked of a “constructive conversation” with the Russians in Kabul on a transition plan modeled on Yemen.

Nuland said Friday she had not meant “to imply any positions on their part.”

But she added: “We were talking about the general direction that we want to see Syria go, the general principles that the secretary has outlined for a post-Assad transition.

“With regard to our dialogue with the Russians we are talking about the full spectrum of issues,” she told journalists.

“We are talking about the situation in Syria. We are talking about how we can implement the Kofi Annan plan in all of its elements.”

The six-point plan drawn up by UN-Arab-League envoy Kofi Annan includes a Syrian-led process to bring in political transition in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad has unleashed a brutal crackdown on opposition rebels.