Kerry: US looks at Russian offer of military talks on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow will continue supporting the Syrian government with military and technical aid in its fight against terrorists such as the Islamic State.

“When you have terrorism, and you have the destruction of the infrastructure, you won’t have the basic needs of living”, Assad said, according to a transcript made available on Wednesday.

“We’ve made clear that further support, military or otherwise, for the Assad regime is destabilising and counter-productive, principally because Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead that country“, he said, adding: “Russia’s decision to double down on Assad is a losing bet”.

He urged Western countries to “stop supporting terrorists” if they are concerned about an influx of refugees.

While the conflict in Syria has led to the flow of hundreds of thousands of refugees from the region, Allen issued a note of caution when it comes to the U.S. welcoming some of them within its borders.

“If the fight is targeted against IS, and the Islamists are defeated or scaled back, then that can only be a good outcome for Assad, and his supporters in Moscow“, he said.

The United States and most Syrian opposition groups say Assad bears blame for fueling radicalism in Syria and spurring the rise of the Islamic State group, because of his crackdown on the Arab Spring protests against his rule.

Assad’s army, meanwhile has suffered setbacks in recent months, and U.S. officials believe the buildup may be a prelude to possible Russian airstrikes against ISIS and other forces looking to oust the Syrian dictator, the Wall Street Journal said.

He said Russian special forces had also been sent to Latakia to train Syrian troops how to use the weaponry.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the White House is considering military-to-military talks with Russia over Syria.

As Washington prepared its response to Moscow’s request for talks, the Kremlin denied a claim that Russia had offered to making Assad quit “in an elegant way”.

President Bashar Assad of Syria called on insurgents fighting his government to join with his forces and do battle against the Islamic State group.

In an interview with Russian media, the embattled leader warned that backing his multifaceted opposition – which he routinely lumps together as terrorists – would only drive more Syrians into European countries.

Syria provides an ideal vehicle for that, while also giving Moscow a significant role in the Middle East and promoting Putin’s long-term ambitions of re-establishing Russia as a player on the world stage.

Ending the conflict in Syria and Iraq is key to solving the migrant crisis facing Europe, a senior US official has told the BBC. A report in The Australian newspaper last week said Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had developed a strategy to remove Assad, which they will discuss with their US counterparts during a UN summit in three weeks.

Russia’s military support for Assad’s regime has raised concerns in the West and Israel.