Lavrov: West May Use ISIS As Pretext To Bomb Syrian Govt Forces

[Purveyor]

If the West bombs Islamic State militants in Syria without consulting Damascus, the anti-ISIS alliance may use the occasion to launch airstrikes against President Bashar Assad’s forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“There are reasons to suspect that air strikes on Syrian territory may target not only areas controlled by Islamic State militants, but the government troops may also be attacked on the quiet to weaken the positions of Bashar Assad’s army,” Lavrov said Tuesday.

Such a development would lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow after a meeting with the foreign minister of Mali.

Moscow is urging the West to respect international law and undertake such acts only with the approval of the legitimate government of a state, Lavrov said.

“Not a single country should have its own plans on such issues. There can be only combined, collective, univocal actions. Only this way can a result be achieved,” he said.

His comments came shortly after Washington announced plans to go on the offensive against the Islamic State jihadist group. The US military has already launched over 100 airstrikes against militant targets in Iraq, including a new series that the military said killed an unusually large number of Islamic State fighters, AP reported.

http://news.cubasi.cu/world/item/1302-lavrov-west-may-use-isis-as-pretext-to-bomb-syrian-govt-forces

[Purveyor]

1. Related: Russia skeptical of NATO proposal over IS

English.news.cn 2014-09-09 22:16:31 [More]

MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Russia is skeptical of NATO's proposal on setting up an international coalition to fight against the self-styled Islamic State in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"The alliance created on the ground of the interests of just one group of countries couldn't be successful," Lavrov said, noting that the proposed coalition is based on the interests of certain countries and intends to neutralize the threat by ideology and confrontational thoughts.

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Lavrov said Moscow is concerned that the United States might strike Syrian territory without Damascus' consent and weaken the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The strategy, he said, would be "a step toward colossal escalation of the conflicts."

Lavrov stressed that Moscow is ready to cooperate with the West in fighting extremism "because we are responsible members of the UN Security Council, not because we yield to some ultimatums."

more...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-09/09/c_133631165.htm

[Scootaloo]

2. Wouldn't surprise me at all.

In fact I rather expect that that's the entire point.