Russian, U.S. positions on Syria are getting closer, Lavrov says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. positions on Syria are getting closer, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday after several high-level contacts between Moscow and Washington this month over the conflict. "Indeed, I think our positions with the United States are getting closer, first and foremost in regard to statements that there can be no alternative to a political solution in Syria," Lavrov told a news conference. Lavrov criticized Washington for supporting some of the armed opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying Russia considered this approach "short-sighted". (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska)