“Syria is ready for cooperation and coordination at the regional and international level to fight terrorism and implement U.N. Security Council resolution 2170,” Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem told reporters in Damascus.
He confirmed, in response to a question, that the country’s willingness to do so would extend to cooperating with the United States and Britain.
“They are welcome,” he said.
Muallem added that Syria was willing to participate in such efforts as part of a regional or international coalition, or on the basis of bilateral cooperation.
But, he said, “We must feel that the cooperation is serious and not double standards.”
- “Any violation of Syria’s sovereignty would be an act of aggression.”
- Muallem’s statements also came shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Western and Arab governments to overcome their distaste for Syrian President Assad and engage with him to fight ISIS insurgents.
“I think Western politicians are already realizing the growing and fast-spreading threat of terrorism,” Lavrov said, referring to Islamic State advances in Syria and Iraq.
“And they will soon have to choose what is more important: a (Syrian) regime change to satisfy personal antipathies, risking deterioration of the situation beyond any control, or finding pragmatic ways to unite efforts against the common threat.”
Russia has been Assad’s most prominent international backer in the civil war that broke out in early 2011 and in which the United States and the West, as well as many Gulf and Arab states, backed the rebels seeking to oust him.
ISIS has now emerged as the strongest rebel faction, capturing large areas of both Syria and Iraq and declaring a caliphate on the territory it controls.
“At the start the Americans and some Europeans rather welcomed (Islamic State) on the basis it was fighting against Bashar al-Assad. They welcomed it as they welcomed the mujahideen who later created al Qaeda, and then al Qaeda struck like a boomerang on Sept. 11, 2001,” Lavrov said.
“The same thing is happening now,” he said, adding that the United States had only started fighting the group after it began rampaging across Iraq and approaching the capital Baghdad.
- The United States has conducted more than 90 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, and Washington is considering taking its fight against the militants to neighbouring Syria.
Damascus said on Monday it must be involved in coordinating any air strikes on its territory.
- Backing this stance, Lavrov said: “If... there are plans to combat Islamic State on the territory of Syria and other countries, it is indispensable that it is done in cooperation with legitimate authorities (there).”
Having long been denounced by Washington and others for protecting Assad, Lavrov made clear that Russia now feels vindicated.
“At one time we were accused of supporting Bashar al-Assad and preventing his overthrow.... Now no one is talking about that,” he said.
The Americans and Europeans were now starting to acknowledge “the truth they have long recognised in private conversations: namely that for the region and for the interests of the West, the main threat is not the regime of Bashar al-Assad but the possible threat of seizure of power by terrorists in Syria and other states of the region.”
[With AFP and Reuters]
Last Update: Monday, 25 August 2014 KSA 16:56 - GMT 13:56
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/25/Syria-ready-to-work-with-world-against-terror.html
25/8/14
--
-
Related:
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Russian, Syrian foreign ministers confirm position on fight against terrorism...
ReplyDeleteMOSCOW, August 25. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem on Monday confirmed the common position on an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its forms.
In a telephone conversation at Syria’s request, Lavrov and Muallem discussed the growing terrorist activities in Syria and Iraq and the strengthening of extremists’ positions, particularly of the Islamic State (IS), the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“The top diplomats expressed hope that UN Security Council Resolution 2170 would be a significant step towards joint fight against terrorism, including within the international community’s efforts to assist to Syria and Iraq to countering this evil,” the ministry said.
Lavrov and Muallem “stressed that any actions against terrorist and extremist elements should be made in strict compliance with the principles and norms of international law, including the respect of states’ sovereignty”, it said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/746562
25/8/14