U.S., Russia pledge to work together for a Syrian transitional government

The U.S. and Russian governments have expressed support for an agreement signed last year in Geneva calling for a transition negotiated between the Syrian government and the opposition. Under the deal, each side would have veto power over those chosen to attend.

The Obama administration and its allies, along with the opposition, have interpreted this to mean a guaranteed veto over the participation of Assad and his strongest backers. The Russian government has previously said that would be an unacceptable precondition for the talks.

In announcing the new partnership on Tuesday, however, the top U.S. and Russian diplomats left Assad’s fate vague. The agreement suggested that Russian support for Assad has softened since the emergence of new evidence that his government has probably used chemical weapons on a small scale in the war.

“We are not interested in the fate of certain persons,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a midnight news conference with visiting Secretary of State John F. Kerry. “We are interested in the fate of Syria itself.”