NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia it will prolong the Syria war by propping up Bashar Assad, news reports indicate.
The military alliance’s chief urged Moscow to play a “constructive role” to end the civil war which has cost at least 250,000 lives.
Russia has launched a wave of air strikes in the country, claiming it is targeting ISIS and other terrorist groups. However, the West has accused Moscow of ordering air attacks against forces, including moderate rebel groups, opposed to Assad in parts of Syria where ISIS has little presence.
Speaking to NATO’s parliamentary assembly meeting in Norway, Mr Stoltenberg said: “Russia should play a constructive role in the fight against (ISIS). To support the Assad regime is not constructive. This is only prolonging the war in Syria.”
Meanwhile, the French government claimed air strikes in Syria by its jets had killed a number of jihadists, including possibly militants from France. Downing Street today rejected criticism from more than 300 lawyers who branded Britain’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis as “deeply inadequate”.
David Cameron has instead pledged that the UK would take 20,000 vulnerable refugees, including children, from camps in the Syria region, as well as giving more than £1 billion in aid to support those who have fled.
“There is no European country providing as much support and humanitarian aid for the millions of refugees that have fled Syria and are in camps in the region,” said a Downing Street source.
At least 30 boats carrying refugees arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos early today, including a father cradling his three-month-old baby.
Britain today also gave £2.4 million, including protective kit, and non-lethal command and control equipment, to Jordan’s armed forces to develop a quick reaction force which could be deployed against IS and other extremists.
The Ministry of Defense issued a fresh call-out order for reservists to fight ISIS, with around 80 having been sent in the last year as part of RAF ground crews and to train Kurdish fighters in Iraq.
Diplomatic tensions over Syria escalated further at the weekend when Moscow summoned Britain’s military attache to explain reports that RAF pilots had been given the green light to shoot down Russian planes in the Middle East. The Foreign Office stressed that the claims that RAF Tornado fighters targeting ISIS units in Iraq had been equipped with air-to-air missiles were “inaccurate”.