DAMASCUS, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Syrias Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad expressed skepticism about a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants, saying that any coalition that excludes Syria and Russia could have certain agendas, the state news agency SANA reported Monday. Mekdad made the remarks in response to U.S. efforts to form an international coalition against the IS terror group in Iraq and Syria but excluded Russia and Syria. Mekdad also denied the presence of any under-the-table contact with Washington regarding the war on terror in Syria. Everything the Syrian administration does is in front of the Syrian people, he said. Mekdad stressed that the battles Syria has been fighting over the past three years are related to Syrian President Bashar al- Assads and the Syrian peoples rejection of any foreign intervention in Syria and any violation to its sovereignty. The Syrian government welcomes the international consensus on fighting terrorism but has stressed that any uncoordinated action inside Syria without the consent of the Syrian government would be deemed as an aggression. Syrias presidential political adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, said in recent remarks that Syria would defend itself against any U.S. strikes on Syrian soil unless the U.S. administration coordinates with the Syrian government. U.S. officials said they will not ask for Damascuss permission when they strike IS positions inside Syria. The new U.S. policy has stirred fears that the West is probably seeking a pretext to strike Syria and that the IS is the bogeyman which would open the doors for foreign intervention in Syria.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 14:14:45 +0000
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