Any use of military force in Syria needs gov’t approval: Russia

Russia says no country can use military force in Syria without getting the approval of the Syrian government.

Asked about reports that the United States may launch a ground operation in Syria, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that, “The question of using military force in any form without the agreement of Damascus is for us unacceptable.”

“This situation has continued for a long time, and it is one of the topics on which we fundamentally disagree with the United States,” he added.

The Russian diplomat said that instead of further complicating the situation, the US should work with Moscow and look for ways to settle the Syrian crisis.

Ground attacks?

The US recently announced that it is considering ground military operations in Syria.

On October 27, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Washington would no longer hesitate to engage in “direct action on the ground” against what he claimed are Takfiri Daesh (ISIL) positions in Iraq and Syria.

“We won’t hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground,” Carter said.

The US and its regional allies, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have been backing the militants fighting the Syrian government.

Since September 2014, the US, along with some of its allies, has been conducting airstrikes against purported Daesh targets inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

The airstrikes in Syria are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against alleged Daesh positions in Iraq, which started in August 2014. Many have criticized the ineffectiveness of the raids.

Russia launched its own air campaign against Daesh Takfiris in Syria on September 30 upon a request from Damascus.

Washington accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of focusing its aerial attacks on foreign-backed groups that are fighting the Syria government, a claim that has been repeatedly rejected by Moscow.

Syria talks

Rayabkov’s comments comes as a fresh round of international talks aimed at finding ways to end the four and a half years of deadly violence in Syria is underway in Vienna, Austria.

Apart from Russia, Iran, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, representatives from at least 12 other countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, China and Oman, are also attending the talks.

Envoys from the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) are also present at the conference.

Two conferences were previously held in an attempt to resolve the Syrian crisis in the Swiss city of Geneva, one in 2012 and the other in 2014. However, both events ended in failure amid the absence of Iran.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011 with reports saying more than 250,000 people having been killed in the conflict.

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