By urging that the step be implemented immediately, Mr. Kerry was trying to avoid the need for time-consuming negotiations. Mr. Kerry spoke after his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, addressed the 15-member council, accusing the United States and its allies of subverting the trust that the cease-fire agreement was supposed to cultivate. After listening to Mr. Lavrov’s remarks, Mr. Kerry said it was like hearing about “a parallel universe.”Advertisement Continue reading the main storySpeaking without a script for much of his remarks, Mr. Kerry gave an address that was in sharp contrast to the conciliatory tone he has offered for the last several weeks in his negotiations with Mr. Lavrov. Mr. Kerry called Mr. Assad “a spoiler” who did not believe in the cease-fire. Mr. Kerry chided Russia’s changing explanations for what may have caused the convoy bombing.

Source: New York Times September 21, 2016 15:40 UTC