Russia’s Lavrov says US must work with Assad to fight Islamic State

Damascus could agree to join the worldwide coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) should it be requested, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday, TASS reported.

Jubeir will go to Moscow only a week after the 2 met in Doha and held three-party talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry amid intensified high-level diplomatic contacts over Syria and Islamic State. “Assad was a fully legitimate partner in destroying chemical arms but somehow he is not when it comes to fighting terrorism.”

They do not want to cooperate with him as it could be seen as legitimizing his position.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Ahmed al-Hajj pointed to recent visits by the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to regional countries, including Oman, and said despite some media reports about the possibility of talks between Syria and Saudi Arabia, it is unlikely that Muallem will meet with his Saudi counterpart in the near future. The two will also discuss “closer coordination on global energy markets”, the Russian ministry said.

Low oil prices are hurting Russia’s budget and Moscow has held regular meetings with OPEC members, including Riyadh, on the matter.

Lavrov promoted President Putin’s proposal to unite the Syrian and Iraqi armies, the Kurds and “the part of the armed opposition that represents Syrians” to fight ISIL before beginning the political process to end the Syrian war. He said he warned Kerry there was high risk that any fatal mistake in Syria could aggravate the conflict, to the point that nothing could control it. A much easier way, according to Lavrov, could be the negotiating table, but “the Americans are unfortunately not ready for it.”