Remarks at Beginning of Meeting With Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Thank you very much and I am honored to be in your presence and I thank you for having some time for us today. We note with great sadness that no country has suffered recently more than the Russian Federation the scourge of terrorism. Not withstanding our upcoming election it is our duty, our job, and our honor to be here to stand side-by-side with our Russian friends as we move to defeat the scourge and the horror and tragedy of Beslan, which causes Americans to mourn with Russian citizens. There is a new urgency in the war in which Mr. Kislyak and I are engaged, and I’m authorized to promise you our utmost efforts – in a practical, real, achievable sense, not a rhetorical sense. Thank you.