Hillary Clinton urges Russia to join international effort on Syria

BEIRUT Washington reached out to Syria's most important ally and protector Saturday, urging Russia to join a coordinated effort to resolve the nation's deadly conflict, a senior State Department official said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton discussed the situation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a telephone call Saturday, a senior State Department official said. "They both agreed that we have to work together," said the official, who provided details of the private discussion on the condition of anonymity. "Her message to him was that we have to start working together to help Syrians with a serious political transition strategy."

Clinton said U.S. and Russian officials should engage diplomatically to come up with ideas in Moscow, Washington, New York and "wherever we need to," according to the official. The Associated Press