Summary
Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that prospects are uncertain at best for this weekend's Syria peace talks.
Russia accused the United States of hijacking preparatory talks for the weekend meeting.
The dispute appeared to focus on the leading role the U.S. had assumed in the talks prior to the main Syria meeting Saturday, and was significant in reflecting the tensions between the two main players whose diplomatic muscle is key to hopes of progress.
One U.S. official, who demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomacy, acknowledged that the U.S. had assumed leadership of the working groups set up by Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy for Syria.
But he said that – as Russia was a member of the working group meeting Thursday on identifying legitimate opposition groups – Washington had every reason to expect Russia to show up.
...