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U.S. NEWS A3
Wednesday 21 October
Russia, US sign deal to minimize risks in Syrian skies
AP National Security Writer not say whether specific A Russian SU-24M jet fighter armed with laser guided bombs takes off from a runaway at Hmeimim
WASHINGTON (AP) — distances were written into airbase in Syria. Russia and the United States signed an agreement Oct. 20 designed to minimize
The U.S. and Russia put into the memo. The two sides the risk of collisions and other dangers as both countries carry out airstrikes in Syria.
practice on Tuesday new also agreed to establish a
rules designed to minimize “communication line on (Alexander Kots, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Photo via AP)
the risk of air collisions be- the ground” as a backup
tween Russian and U.S.-led of military-to-military com-
coalition aircraft over Syria. munication, Cook said, al-
A Russian defense official in though he would not say
Moscow said the “memo- whether this would be a
randum of understanding” telephone line or where it
suggests a potential for would be located. A U.S.-
U.S.-Russian counterterror- Russia working group will
ism cooperation, but U.S. be formed to deal with
officials said it was a narrow any implementation issues
arrangement that does not that arise, he added. The
lessen Washington’s con- discussions that led to the
cern about the Russian mili- protocols “do not consti-
tary campaign in Syria. tute U.S. cooperation or
There is no plan to establish support for Russia’s policy
zones of cooperation in the and actions in Syria,” Cook
parallel air campaigns or to said. “In fact, far from it, we
share intelligence or target continue to believe that
information in Syria, Pen- Russia’s strategy in Syria is
tagon spokesman Peter counterproductive, and
Cook said. The Pentagon their support for the Assad
has cited several instances regime will only make
when Russian aircraft came Syria’s civil war worse.”
too close to U.S. warplanes He was referring to Syrian
over Syria in recent weeks. President Bashar Assad,
More broadly, Washing- whom the U.S. says is an il-
ton has complained that legitimate leader and must
instead of hitting Islamic leave office. The U.S. has
State fighters, Russian air- been bombing Islamic
strikes are mostly targeting State targets in Syria since
rebel forces fighting the September 2014; the Rus-
Syrian government. Rus- sian air campaign began
sia also deployed ground less than one month ago.
troops and land-based In Moscow, Russian Deputy
weaponry, including multi- Defense Minister Anatoly
ple-launch rocket systems, Antonov said in a state-
in support of the Syrian gov- ment carried by Russian
ernment. wThe arrange- news agencies that signing
ment announced Tuesday the memorandum was a
“does nothing to assuage positive step that has “im-
our concerns about Rus- portant practical mean-
sian military activities in ing.” “The memorandum
Syria,” State Department contains a complex of rules
spokesman John Kirby said. and restrictions aimed at
Cook said Gen. Lloyd Aus- preventing incidents be-
tin, commander of U.S. tween Russian and U.S. air-
Central Command, signed craft,” Antonov said, add-
for the U.S. side Tuesday. ing that Russian and U.S.
At a Pentagon news con- military officials will set up
ference, Cook gave a round-the-clock communi-
broad description of the cations channels and “de-
document but said the U.S. termine the mechanism
had accepted a Russian of interaction, including
request that the text be mutual assistance in crisis
kept secret. After several situations.” “The Americans
rounds of talks that began have promised to get the
more than a week ago, agreed rules to all partici-
the two sides agreed to a pants of the anti-IS coali-
number of air safety proto- tion they lead, so that their
cols including “maintaining pilots proceed from those
professional airmanship” agreements,” he said, re-
and the use of specific air- ferring to the U.S. coalition
craft communications fre- that includes Australia,
quencies, Cook said. They Bahrain, Canada, France,
agreed to keep a “safe dis- Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tur-
tance” between aircraft, key and the United Arab
Cook said, but he would Emirates.q
