Syria’s Assad says Russian airstrikes vital
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SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad said in comments broadcast yesterday that the success of Russia’s military intervention in his country’s civil war was vital for the whole Middle East.
“The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or the whole region will be destroyed,” he said in an interview shown by Iranian state TV.
Russia on Wednesday launched airstrikes in Syria in a move Moscow said was aimed at fighting the Islamic State group. Opponents, including the United States, claimed the bombing raids are mainly targeting Western-backed moderate opponents of Assad.
“The chances of success for this coalition are great and not insignificant,” Assad said, according to an extract posted on Twitter, warning the price Syria’s allies pay “will certainly be high.”
He called on Western countries, which have along with Gulf allies carried out air strikes on IS in Syria since September 2014, to join forces in order to fight extremism.
“If these states join the fight against terrorists in a serious and sincere manner, at least in terms of stopping them getting support, we will achieve results much faster,” Assad said.
Western and Gulf countries insist Assad must step down after presiding over more than four years of civil war.
However, on the same day British Prime Minister David Cameron said that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s decision to take military action in Syria to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a “terrible mistake.”
“They are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world,” he told the BBC on the first day of his Conservative Party’s annual conference.
“It’s going to make the region more unstable, it will lead to further radicalization and increased terrorism.”
Russia said it is targeting hardline Islamic State militants, but Cameron questioned that position.
“Most of the Russian airstrikes, as far as we’ve been able to see so far, have been in parts of Syria not controlled by ISIL (Islamic State), but controlled by other opponents of the regime,” he said.
Cameron is keen for Britain to begin its own airstrikes in Syria, joining allies in a US-led coalition against IS. British bombing as part of the coalition so far has only targeted IS in Iraq.
He signalled that he would push ahead with plans for a vote in parliament to approve military action against Islamic State in Syria, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said yesterday.
Cameron said British military attacks in Syria “may well become possible.”
After losing a parliamentary vote on the use of force against Assad in Syria in 2013, Cameron has said he would want the support of opposing lawmakers before putting the matter to a vote. The opposition Labour Party is split on the issue.
The newspaper said also that Cameron did not believe Russian military involvement in Syria should prevent Britain’s attempt to strike at Islamic State.
“What I am clear about is one of the biggest threats we have to respond to is that terrorist threat,” he was quoted as saying.
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