More unity in anti-IS effort
France, Russia agree to share intelligence, coordinate on selecting targets as ties tighten
MOSCOW — French President Francois Hollande and Russia’s Vladimir Putin agreed to share intelligence information and cooperate on selecting targets in the fight against the Islamic State group, raising hope for closer ties between Moscow and the U.S.-led antiIS coalition following the Paris terror attacks.
Putin said that Russia is ready to more broadly coordinate its military action in Syria with the U.S.-led coalition, but he harshly criticized Washington for failing to prevent the
downing of a Russian warplane by NATO member Turkey. Hollande said Tuesday’s shoot-down of the Russian jet was a “serious incident, obviously regrettable” that underlined the need for closer coordination between the nations fighting the IS.
“It is crucial in that period to avoid any risk, any incident, and prevent any escalation,” Hollande said at a news conference following the Kremlin talks.
“The only goal we must have is fighting Daesh and neutralize the terrorists, there is no other goal,” he said, referring to the IS by its Arab acronym.
IS has claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, as well as deadly bombings in Beirut and the downing of a Russian airplane on Oct. 31 that killed all 224 people on board over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Hollande said he and Putin agreed to “increase information and intelligence exchange, intensify airstrikes against Daesh, which will be subject to a coordination to increase their efficiency” and make sure that “the forces combating Daesh and other terrorist groups must not be targeted by our actions.”
Putin specified that Russia is ready to both cooperate bilaterally with France and with the U.S.-led coalition as a whole on the choice of targets, so as to “determine the territories which could be struck, as well as those that must be spared, exchange information on various issues and coordinate action on the battlefield.”
At the same time, the Russian leader harshly criticized the U.S. for the failure to prevent its NATO ally Turkey from shooting down the Russian military jet Tuesday at the border with Syria.
Turkey said it shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber after it flew into its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings.
Putin dismissed the Turkish claim and held the U.S. responsible for failing to rein in its ally, saying that Russia had informed the U.S. about its military flights in advance, in line with a recent agreement between Moscow and Washington aimed at preventing clashes between their aircraft.
Speaking about the Syrian conflict, both leaders emphasized the need for political process but held their ground on the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Hollande underlined that “from France’s view, it’s clear that Assad does not have his place in Syria’s future,” while Putin said the Syrian leader’s future “should be at the hands of the Syrian people.”
Putin said Russia was mourning for Paris victims and those who died in the downing of the Russian passenger plane over Egypt. He praised Hollande’s efforts to build an anti-terror coalition and said Moscow was open for stronger cooperation.
Hollande’s visit comes two days after he met with President Barack Obama in Washington, where both leaders vowed to escalate airstrikes against IS and bolster intelligence sharing.
Following his meeting with the French president, Obama said Russian coop- eration in the fight against IS would be “enormously helpful.” Both Obama and Hollande, however, insisted that a political transition in Syria must lead to Assad’s departure. Russia, on the other hand, has been Assad’s staunchest ally.
Last week, Hollande called for the U.S. and Russia to set aside their policy divisions over Syria and “fight this terrorist army in a broad, single coalition.” But his office acknowledges that “coordination” sounds like a far more realistic goal.
With two suspects of the Paris attacks at large, tensions were still high in Belgium on Thursday with the capital, Brussels. But authorities lowered the threat level in Brussels to the second-highest level.
Since Saturday morning, Brussels — home to the European Union and NATO headquarters — had been wary of a threat that was considered “serious and imminent.”
The lowering of the threat level came as a surprise, since the government had said that it likely would keep the highest threat level in the capital through the weekend.
Authorities launched a raid in southern Belgium on Thursday afternoon linked to the Paris attacks but didn’t detain any suspects.
In Brussels, a civil protection squad decontaminated several people as a precaution at the main mosque after a suspicious parcel arrived. The person who opened the package discovered white powder and immediately contacted authorities. A specialized crew from the fire department was sent, witnesses at the scene said.