Secretary of State John Kerry pressed ahead on Tuesday in the effort to organize a new round of talks aimed at ending the Syrian civil war that could also align the United States and Russia more closely in strategies for fighting the Islamic State.<br />The United States and Russia have long been at odds over Syria, with Russia standing firmly by President Bashar al-Assad and the United States backing the rebels seeking his ouster.<br />On Tuesday, the diplomats said they had narrowed a gap on defining which Syrian militias belonged on a terrorist list.<br />A final list may be ready Friday, Mr. Kerry said.<br />Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia said his country would accept a delegation of Syrian opposition groups at negotiations on Friday, if they arrived under the auspices of a United Nations moderator; Moscow had earlier objected that groups it considers terrorists might wind up in the delegation.
