Russia told to explain Syria buildup

Russia faced mounting calls Thursday to explain its intentions in the Syrian conflict as European diplomats met after Germany's leader said President Bashar al-Assad should be involved in any peace talks.
Europe's migrant crisis has given fresh impetus to efforts to end Syria's brutal four-year conflict and the question of Assad's role in an eventual solution is firmly back in the spotlight.

"We have to speak with many actors, this includes Assad, but others as well," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said late Wednesday.

She was speaking ahead of a meeting in Paris Thursday between the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, as Europe seeks to revive dormant efforts to resolve the crisis.

"The idea is to clarify positions, to know how each side sees a political transition in Syria, to find a common European position ahead of the UN General Assembly" which begins Sunday, a French diplomatic source told AFP.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called on Moscow to justify the "very significant" buildup and said if its intention was "to protect President Bashar al-Assad," it should say so.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, speaking alongside Le Drian after they held talks, said he was "equally concerned" by the Russian buildup in Syria "which will only complicate what's already a very complicated and difficult situation."

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg also urged Moscow to make its intentions clear and play a constructive role in the fight against the Islamic State ( ISIS / ISIL) group.

Syrian officials have said that Russia is boosting its fight against the IS group which has seized large parts of its territory.

The Syrian military for the first time on Wednesday deployed drones supplied by Russia in its fight against the jihadists, a security source in Damascus said.

"Russian weapons are starting to have an effect in Syria," the official told AFP.

In an interview with Interfax news agency, Syrian ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad said that Russia's support on the ground "will happen if it is needed."

"Russia's help will help Syria finally win over terrorist groups," he said, adding that there is a "high level of cooperation" between Syria, Russia and Iran on the conflict. 
  globaltimes.cn
24/9/15
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