Unresolved “frozen conflicts” continue posing a serious threat to our common security, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the incumbent OSCE chairperson-in-office, said at a meeting of the 22nd Council of the OSCE Foreign Ministers that opened in Belgrade on Thursday.
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The United States warned today of the need to find Syrian or Arab ground forces to take on ISIS, saying the militant group would not be defeated by air strikes alone.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry insisted the alliance is “not a threat to anybody” and sought to redirect focus on the radical Islamic State group in Syria. Kerry also called for Turkey and Russia to amend a rift over the downing of a Russian plane last month.
World powers are working to come up with a solution for Syria, which will most likely involve some sort of transition away from the Bashar al-Assad government.
The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic brought several guns, ammunition and propane tanks officials say he assembled around a auto.
The top North Atlantic Treaty Organisation commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, cautioned that when it comes to Russia’s air operations in Syria, “the vast majority of their sorties are still against the moderate opposition and those forces that oppose Assad”.
“These special operators will, over time, be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture Islamic State leaders”, Mr Carter told the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
Mr Kerry said that progress had been made on sealing the porous border between Syria and Turkey, which has been an important lifeline for the Islamic State and an irritant for the countries fighting the militant group. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to step up sanctions imposed against Turkey after the incident.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was quick to say at the Belgrade summit that while he agrees that airstrikes “are certainly not enough” he was just as convinced “that there will be no European troops on the ground in Syria”.
Moscow, he said, should focus on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the eastern areas of Ukraine in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions after Russian Federation annexed Crimea and helped foment a civil war in East Ukraine.
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The war against the Islamic State, also known by the acroynm ISIL and Arabic name Da’esh, was an ever-present motif as the diplomats attended a series of meetings at a large convention center. “It is something we have to discuss with the Americans, with the Italians and others”, said Dion. “It is Assad who needs to cooperate in putting together this transitional effort that can be embraced by everybody. We applaud his (Mr Cameron’s) leadership”, said Mr Kerry, urging the British Parliament to approve the request.
