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Relations internationales/FRANCE ; SYRIE

French, Russian leaders talk again ahead of weekend Syria meeting

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Russia's Sergei Lavrov discussed Syria by telephone Thursday, despite a row that led to President Vladimir Putin calling off a visit to Paris. Meetings at the weekend will continue efforts to establish a ceasefire in the wartorn country.

An inhabitant of Aleppo in the rubble of his home
An inhabitant of Aleppo in the rubble of his home Reuters/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Ayrault "confirmed France's wish to pursue dialogue with Russia in all frankness" and stressed the "urgency of breaking the current impasse ... and achieving a halt in the bombing of Aleppo", a foreign ministry statement said.

Earlier, at a press conference in Rome with Italy's Paolo Gentiloni and Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, he said he did not want sanctions against Russia.

President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday urged Putin to push for a ceasefire in Syria in a three-way phone call.

The conversations mark a slight let-up in the row that erupted after Russia vetoed France's UN Security Council resolution for an end to the bombing of Aleppo at the weekend, although Putin hit back at French claims that war crimes had been committed, dubbing them "political rhetoric" on French television on Wednesday.

The US and Russia, who suspended dialogue on Syria a few days ago, announced a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday, with Middle Eastern countries in attendance.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his French, German and British counterparts in London on Sunday.

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