To fight against IS "it would be better to create a common coalition", but Russia would be ready "to work also in another format that is acceptable to its partners", therefore also in a US-led coalition. This is the most significant news announced yesterday by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, after his meeting in the Kremlin with the number one of the Elysée, François Hollande.
“Terrorist attacks require us to unite in the fight – said Putin -. We suffer with you for the losses that France has suffered. Russia has also suffered heavy losses from heinous attacks on civilian aircraft. And all this leads us to unite in the fight against a common evil”.
Hollande then underlined that “our enemy is Daesh, the Islamic State, which has a territory, an army and resources. For this the world powers must create a grand coalition to strike these terrorists in Syria and Iraq. I am in Moscow with you to see how we can act together and coordinate so as to be able to strike this terrorist group, but also to reach a political solution for peace".
In the final press conference, in addition to the declarations of intent, Hollande summarized the immediate concrete steps as follows: "We will increase the exchange of information and intelligence, the attacks against IS will be intensified and will hit IS and terrorists, but not the militias who fight against IS”.
The distance between France and Russia concerns Assad. Answering questions from the press, Hollande said that "obviously Assad cannot play any role" in Syria's future, "but we want Russia to play a very important role" in the process of resolving the Syrian crisis. Putin did not say too much about the future, but he was clear about the present: "The fate of the president of Syria must be in the hands of the Syrian people", but now ground support is needed for the Russian and French raids against IS and that is of the Syrian army and "therefore President Assad's army is the main ally in the fight against Isis".
“We can build a broad coalition against terrorism – concluded Putin -. We are ready for this joint work and the number of countries that want to join the anti-IS coalition is increasing, under the "aegis of the UN". Or Washington.
