Sputnik- US Secretary of State John Kerry has accused Damascus of carrying out "nothing short of a massacre" in Aleppo. Geoffrey Roberts, professor of history at University College Cork and a member of the Royal Irish Academy, told Radio Sputnik that these and similar remarks are meant to divert attention away from Western failures in Syria.

Kerry also accused Bashar al-Assad and his allies of "indiscriminate and savage brutality against�civilians," as�well as "the unleashing of�a sectarian passion."

"I think a lot of�the extremity of�these statements is to�do with�a sense of�embarrassment because Western policy in�Syria has been an absolute disaster. There have been some very poor decisions," he said. Western leaders have "supported groups which have in�reality been part of [Daesh or other extremist groups]. It has been an absolute disaster. � They are trying to�cover it up. Kerry's rhetoric is trying to�cover up�Western failure, Western weaknesses and poor political decisions by�Western politicians in�relation to�Syria."

Professor Roberts expressed hope that once the Syrian conflict is resolved, such rhetoric will give way to�a "more productive dialogue." He warned that the victory in�Aleppo would not put an end to�the years-long war since�the militants will entrench in�rural areas.

However, the historian noted that the Syrian crisis could be resolved quicker than�many think if key stakeholders, including Russia, the United States, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, enter into�a "genuine partnership."

"If there is a genuine kind of�alliance to�bring the war to�an end, to�find a common solution and to�make sure that there is no sectarian bloodletting after�the end of�the civil war, I think the civil war could come to�an end quite quickly. At least to�the extent that the armed revolt could be contained and under�control in�certain areas," he said.

In Professor Roberts' view, it is a question of "politics, political decision-making and political leadership."

The historian further said that the Kremlin could find common ground with�the incoming US administration, adding that there are "certain possibilities." Nobody knows what Donald Trump will do once he becomes president, "but he does not seem to�be anti-Russian," Professor Roberts noted. "He seems to�be in�favor of�d�tente. He wants to�step away from�American military interventionism. I think these are all good things. There are some possibilities arising out�of that. I am relatively optimistic that the situation could improve in�the next few months." Have you heard the news? Sign up�to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up�to speed!