No change in Syria plan: US KREMLIN STILL HOPEFUL OF TALKS WITH U. S.

■ Israel says it will accept no limitations on its actions in war- torn country

Washington, April 16: The US mission in Syria “has not changed,” the White House said on Monday, reiterating that President Donald Trump wants forces to return home as soon as possible.

“The US mission has not changed -- the President has been clear that he wants US forces to come home as quickly as possible,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said, hours after French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that Paris had convinced Trump to stay engaged in Syria “for the longterm.”

“We are determined to completely crush ISIS and create the conditions that will prevent its return.

“In addition we expect our regional allies and partners to take greater responsibility both militarily and financially for securing the region,” she said.

Meanwhile, Israel said it will not accept limitations on its “actions” in Syria from Russia or any other country, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday, a week after a deadly raid attributed to the Jewish state.

“We will maintain total freedom of action. We will not accept any limitation when it comes to the defence of our security interests,” Lieberman said in a video interview with the Walla news site.

— AFP Moscow, April 16: The Kremlin on Monday said it still hopes for dialogue with Washington despite US- led strikes on Moscow’s ally Syria last week.

“We hope that, when our American colleagues solve their internal issues, some kind of communication will begin despite all the damage to ( our) bilateral relations currently imposed by Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He added that there are no current discussions between the two countries on a possible summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The US, Britain and France carried out attacks at the weekend on alleged chemical weapons facilities, in response to what they say was a toxic gas attack by the Russiabacked Assad regime a week before.

Moscow has said the USled action was aimed at overthrowing Assad and keeping Russia’s influence in check. The strikes have led to tensions between Washington and Moscow unseen since the Cold War. — AFP