The individuals targeted come from a wide range of countries – among them Russian Federation, France, and the United Kingdom – in what is seen as an effort to highlight the global nature of the threat from Islamic State, says the BBC’s Barbara Plett Usher in New York.
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But he called Iran “an occupying force in Syria” and said it can not be part of the solution until it withdraws its forces from Syria, as well as the Hezbollah fighters and other Shiite militias that it sent to the country to support the Assad regime.
He further noted that the initial and primary objective of the channel, agreed to on Monday between Obama and Putin, is to ensure no accident takes place between United States and Russian pilots.
“In Syria, as I said yesterday, defeating ISIL requires – I believe – a new leader, and an inclusive government that unites the Syrian people in the fight against terrorist groups”.
And while there is a tendency to try to make the Putin-Obama meeting personal, Earnest said, “this isn’t about trying to keep Vladimir Putin’s ego in check – there’s no denying it’s quite healthy, which is fine”.
Russia, a key Assad ally, has tried this week at the United Nations General Assembly to rally worldwide action against the Islamic State group, and a few western voices are softening their positions against Assad. Syria itself, after more than four years of war, is a bloody mess.
The United States has insisted throughout that for any resolution of the conflict Assad would have to leave power.
“Bashar has been qualified by the U.N.as a criminal against humanity”. Fabius said.
Kerry told MSNBC: “Everybody understands that Syria is at stake, and the world is looking rapidly for a few kind of resolution”. “We have a difference about what the outcome of that process would be”, he added.
“We did not agree on any specific steps, but on continuing our cooperation and discussions between ministries of foreign affairs and of defence in order to identify specific ways and means to achieve our common goals”, an online statement released by the ministry quoted Lavrov as saying.
But Al-Jubeir said “there are two options for a settlement in Syria. Well, at least we don’t plan on it right now”, he told CBS, through a translator.
Russia, which is president of the UN Security Council for the month, will chair its own meeting on Wednesday on countering extremism.
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Cook said the defense secretary spoke with senior leaders in the services and his policy team this morning.
