‘ US to offer joint military pact to Russia in Syria’
Paris, July 14: The United States is to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against the AlNusra Front and Islamic State extremist groups in Syria, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
US secretary of state John Kerry, who was on his way to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin.
According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified airstrikes against the jihadist groups.
At present, Russian forces in Syria are operating in support of President Bashar al- Assad’s regime against a variety of rebel factions, while a US- led coalition focuses its fire on the Islamic State group.
Any deal between the great power rivals would be controversial, since for many — including critics of US President Barack Obama in Washington — it would amount to a tacit acceptance of Mr Putin’s efforts to shore up Mr Assad’s regime.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment I’ll have comments. I’m going to Moscow, meeting with President Putin tonight, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it.
John Kerry, on the report before Moscow had receiv- ed Washington’s proposal.
He said the Kremlin has reiterated the need for “the coordination of joint efforts” in the fight agai- nst jihadist groups in Syria and regretted Wash- ington’s reluctance to cooperate with Russia militarily in the war- torn country.
Mr Kerry was due in Moscow later Thursday and was to hold talks first with Mr Putin at the Kremlin followed by a meeting with his opposite number foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday.