Joint command in fight against ISIL unrealistic, but efforts on the ground

The Russian minister also expressed his conviction that all those fighting against terrorist groups such as ISIL and others ought to coordinate their efforts. The United States believes that their coalition doesn’t need this approval from the UN Security Council.

“It was a very thorough exchange of views on both the military and the political implications of Russia’s increased engagement in Syria“, a senior U.S. official said, according to Reuters.

Moscow will submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on a joint worldwide effort against the Islamic State threat. “It is based on documents previously adopted by the Council, with an emphasis on coherent counter-terrorism actions based on norms and principles of global law”, Lavrov told the gathering.

“It is not refugees that must be stopped, but terrorists and wars and conflicts begetting them“, he added.

Lavrov addressed a special Security Council meeting as Russian warplanes carried out their first air strikes in Syria, hitting targets in three provinces.

Lavrov stressed a “maximally effective fight” and listed countries with a key role to play in resolving the chaos in Syria, including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the US and even China.

Lavrov pointed out that the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his United States counterpart, Barak Obama discussed during their meeting in New York the possibility of cooperation between their countries in finding solution to the most urgent issues, mainly the crisis in Syria, asserting that they agreed on that the main goal is eliminating the ISIS and prevent it from establish a caliphate in the Middle East.