French defence minister in Moscow for anti-ISIS cooperation talks

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Monday to request an increase in strikes against ISIS group in Syria.

Talks will also touch on how the two countries can share intelligence relating to the jihadist group, Le Drian told journalists before travelling to Russia.

"We will discuss what we consider to be terrorist groups, and how Russia might increase its action against Daesh (an Arabic acronym for ISIS), which is our sole enemy," he said.

Western nations have complained that Russia is primarily bombing rebels, including moderates, which threaten the regime of Bashar al-Assad, rather than targeting ISIS.

But Le Drian said he hoped France would also be able to cooperate with Russia in other areas.

"There are many Russian speakers in Daesh which it would be useful for us to have information on, and likewise we could perhaps provide information on their French speakers," the minister said.

"Intelligence sharing requires giving on both sides," he said.

Le Drian and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu will also discuss ways to avoid any collisions between Russian and French aircraft in Syrian airspace...
  AFP
  ahram.org.eg
21/12/15
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