Moscow wants anti-IS alliance with US, France

Paris, November 25

Russia would be prepared to “create a joint staff” to fight the Islamic State in which Moscow would work with France, the United States and even Turkey, the Russian ambassador to France said today.

“We are prepared to... plan strikes on Daesh (IS) positions together and create a joint staff with France, the US, with all the countries who want to be in this coalition,” said Alexander Orlov.

He told Europe 1 radio that despite rising tensions after Turkey downed a Russian military jet on Tuesday, “if the Turks want to be in (the joint staff) as well, they are welcome”. Speaking following talks at the White House between French President Francois Hollande and Barack Obama yesterday, the US president said it would be “enormously helpful” if Russia would work with the US and others to bring about an end to the war in Syria.

But Obama cautioned that US forces could only work with Russian forces if Moscow concentrated its bombing in Syria on Islamic State jihadists, and not on other rebel groups opposed to Moscow’s ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Addressing the downing of the Russian jet by a Turkish air-to-air missile, Obama also said that if Russia focused on hitting IS targets “some of those conflicts or potentials for mistakes or escalation are less likely to occur”. Speaking 11 days after jihadists killed 130 people in the French capital, Hollande urged an “implacable” joint response to crush the group in Syria and Iraq.

At a joint press conference, Obama pledged America’s full solidarity in the wake of the November 13 carnage, switching into Hollande’s language to tell him, “We are all French.” — AFP