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WORLD NEWSFriday 18 September 2015
Moscow urges US to engage Syria, offers military talks
V. ISACHENKOV Russian Foreign Minister Ser-
Associated Press gey Lavrov, speaking after
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on talks with his Turkish coun-
Thursday strongly urged the terpart in the Russian Black
United States and its allies Sea resort of Sochi, said the
to engage the Syrian gov- U.S.-led coalition fighting
ernment as a “partner” in the Islamic State group in
the fight against the Islamic Syria and Iraq should coor-
State group, and offered dinate its action with Syrian
to share any information President Bashar Assad’s
about its military supplies to government in conformity
Damascus with Washing- with international law.
ton. “There is no reason to evade
New satellite imagery, cooperation with the Syr-
meanwhile, showed the ian leadership, which con-
recent arrival of Russian fronts that terror threat,”
tanks, armored personnel Lavrov said. He added that
carriers and other military “the Syrian president com-
equipment at an air base mands the most capable
in Syria’s coastal Latakia ground force fighting ter-
province, confirming re- rorism.”
ports by U.S., Israeli and “Rejecting such a possibil-
other officials of a military ity, ignoring the capabil-
buildup. ity of the Syrian army as a
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu walk
ahead of a high-level summit of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, in Du-
shanbe, Tajikistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly defended Moscow’s military assis-
tance to the Syrian government, saying it’s impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without
cooperating with Damascus.
(AP Photo/Peter Leonard)
partner and ally in the fight on the situation in Syria. The airport, named after
against the IS means sacri- Kerry suggested that he fa- the president’s brother,
ficing security of the entire vored such consultations, who died in a car acci-
region for political or geo- noting that the U.S. wants dent in 1994, lies about 25
political intentions and cal- a clear picture of Russia’s kilometers (15 miles) south
culations,” he said. intentions. of Latakia city. It is the only
Washington, which has The satellite imagery pro- functioning airport in the
seen Assad as the cause of vided by AllSource Analysis, country besides the inter-
the Syrian crisis, has been a commercial satellite intel- national airport in Damas-
concerned by an ongoing ligence firm, confirmed a cus, and is therefore of
Russian military buildup in buildup in Latakia. The im- great importance to the
Syria and warned Moscow ages show six main battle government.
that it could further desta- tanks, 26 armored person- Russian President Vladimir
bilize the situation. The U.S. nel carriers, and recently Putin and other officials say
said that Russia has ferried deployed helicopters and that Moscow has supplied
equipment, supplies and artillery battery guns. The weapons to Syria and sent
military personnel to Syria equipment apparently ar- military personnel to train its
with the apparent goal of rived between September military to fight the Islamic
setting up an air base near 4 and 15. State. They wouldn’t pro-
the coastal town of Lata- The imagery also confirms vide any numbers or other
kia, a stronghold of the Syr- new and extensive con- details.
ian president. struction, including a new Putin also seemed to keep
U.S. Secretary of State John taxiway being built at the the door open for a broad-
Kerry, who spoke with Lav- air base inside the Basel er role in Syria. Asked earlier
rov three times this month Assad International Airport this month if Russia could
to discuss the Russian ac- — also known by its old send troops into Syria to
tion, said Lavrov offered name Hemeimeem airport help fight the IS, he an-
Tuesday to have military-to- — possibly in preparation swered that “we are look-
military talks and meetings for Russian troop arrivals. ing at various options.”q
