Clinton had constructive talks with Lavrov on Syria

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the contentious issue of the Syria unrest, after Moscow rejected a fresh UNSC bid to seek an end to the political crisis under the Bashar al-Assad regime.   Officials said Clinton had "constructive" talks with Lavrov, and the two leaders agreed that the officials of the two countries at the UN headquarters in New York would continue to consult on the resolution in Syria. "I can confirm she spoke with her Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Lavrov, earlier this morning. They did agree that their teams in New York would continue to consult on this draft resolution," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference. Later, a Senior State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity characterised the telephonic talks between the Clinton and Lavrov as constructive. Clinton, who is on her way to Munich to attend a security conference would be meeting her Russian counterpart, officials said. "I've concluded that Syria will remain a topic regardless of what happens today. I don't know if you want to add anything," a senior State Department official said. Russia, a stanch ally of Assad rejected a latest draft of UNSC resolution that did not explicitly call on the Syrian President to step down or mention an arms embargo or sanctions, but said it "fully supports" an Arab League plan to facilitate a democratic transition. Russia has maintained that it was against any external interference in Syria.