ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the diplomatic effort to avert a U.S. strike on Syria "is not a game," and cautioned that force may still be needed if diplomacy fails.<br/> <br />Kerry was speaking in Geneva after much-anticipated talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to consider how to implement a Russian proposal that would place Syria's chemical weapons arsenal under international control, averting a proposed U.S. strike.<br/> <br />"Expectations are high," Kerry said. "They are high for the United States, perhaps even more so for Russia to deliver on the promise of this moment."<br/> <br />The talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic battle to make headway on the crisis in Syria.<br/> <br />Russia's proposal has prompted President Barack Obama to ask Congress to postpone a vote to authorize a military strike.<br/> <br />But Kerry reiterated the U.S. position that force might be needed against Syria if diplomacy over President Bashar al-Ass
