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U.S. NEWS A3
Saturday 19 September
Russian, U.S. military talks: Concerned over Syria
KEN DILANIAN Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon. Carter spoke culations. Russia has called
LOLITA C. BALDOR with his Russian counterpart Friday, the first step in direct military talks proposed by Russia about for a broad coalition to
Associated Press Moscow’s military buildup to support the Syrian government against the Islamic State group. fight the Islamic State
WASHINGTON (AP) — group and has indicated
American and Russian (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) that helping Assad’s mili-
military chiefs began talks tary is the best way to do
Friday over Moscow’s withU.S. Secretary of State plan to defend and sup- the Islamic State. The main that. However, U.S. policy
buildup in Syria, signaling John Kerry, and Shoigu initi- port the government of Syr- focus of the phone call, ac- has centered for the dura-
the U.S. is resigned to Rus- ated the call to Carter on ian President Bashar Assad cording to a senior defense tion of the civil war in Syria
sia’s emerging plans but Friday. could conflict with coali- official, was to talk about on the idea that Assad
anxious to avoid danger- U.S. officials are increas- tion airstrikes and other how the fight against IS will must step down to make
ous misunderstandings on ingly worried that Russia’s military operations against go forward without miscal- way for a new govern-
the battlefield. ment. Until recently, Russia
A 50-minute phone call had seemed to agree with
between U.S. Defense Sec- that policy.
retary Ash Carter and Rus- The U.S. has been con-
sia Defense Minister Sergei cerned about how to re-
Shoigu marked the first spond to Russia’s increased
military-to-military conver- support for Assad and how
sation between the two to interpret the intent be-
countries in more than a hind the delivery of tanks,
year. And it came as Russia helicopters and other mili-
continued to send aircraft, tary equipment to a base
troops and military equip- in the coastal province of
ment into Syria and the Latakia. A senior U.S. offi-
U.S.-led coalition kept up cial said Shoigu told Cart-
its assault against Islamic er that Russia’s increased
State militants. military activities are de-
Russian Foreign Minister Ser- fensive in nature, and de-
gey Lavrov broached the signed to honor Moscow’s
idea of direct talks earlier commitments to the Assad
this week in a phone call government.q
