A Kurdish-Arab coalition fighting the IS group has announced the creation of a political wing -- the Syrian Democratic Council -- after a two-day conference in Syria's northeastern town of Al-Malikiya, Al-Jazeera reports.
The meeting was attended by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the YPG, and the Syrian Arab group the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Neither the PYD or the SDF were invited to the conference in Riyadh this week of Syrian opposition groups.
Russia is open to a close coordination of efforts to liquidate "hotbeds of terrorism" in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
In a written interview with the pro-Kremlin RIA Novosti today, Lavrov said that the fight against terrorism should be based on international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
"It has been repeatedly said that the U.S.-led coalition against IS is ineffective," Lavrov said.
"The terrorists have actually strengthened their position and extended their influence to new territory. I recall that Russia from the very start of the Syrian crisis, that is long before the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of our fellow citizens and of French citizens, always called and still calls for the global community to make joint efforts on the basis of universal international law."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has given a very long interview to Spain's EFE news agency.
The full interview in English is here on Syrian state news agency SANA''s website, but here are some key points:
Assad said that his government is ready to start talks with the opposition, but that depended on what was meant by "opposition." Assad criticized Saudi Arabia and the United States for wanting "terrorist groups" to be involved in peace talks.
"So, we were ready, and we are ready today to start the negotiations with the opposition. But it depends on the definition of opposition. Opposition, for everyone in this world, doesn’t mean militant. There’s a big difference between militants, terrorists, and opposition. Opposition is a political term, not a military term. So, talking about the concept is different from the practice, because so far, we’ve been seeing that some countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United States, and some Western countries wanted the terrorist groups to join these negotiations. They want the Syrian government to negotiate with the terrorists, something I don’t think anyone would accept in any country," Assad said.
Assad said that the opposition groups involved in talks in Riyadh this week included "a mixture of political opposition and militants."
Assad said that to defeat IS, one had to defeat the "Wahhabi" ideology behind it, and blamed Saudi Arabia for funding "Wahhabi institutions."
Regarding IS in Syria, Assad said militants and money were reaching Syria via Turkey.
Assad also repeated Russia's accusations that IS oil was being trafficked via Turkey:
The Russians last week published on TV pictures and videos of trucks carrying oil crossing the Syrian-Turkish borders. Of course, the Turks denied this, it’s very easy to deny, but let’s think about the reality. Most of the oil in Syria is in the northern part of Syria. If they want to export it to Iraq, that’s impossible, because every party in Iraq is fighting ISIS. In Syria, it’s the same. In Lebanon, it’s very far. Jordan in the south is very far. So, the only lifeline for ISIS is Turkey. Those trucks moving the oil from Syria to Turkey, and Turkey selling this cheap oil to the rest of the world. I don’t think anyone has any doubt about this indubitable reality.
Assad denied that Russia was building a second military base in Syria.
Assad also said that questions of him stepping down was "personalizing the problem" as a "cover" to deny that the situation in Syria was caused by terrorism.
This is a very romantic picture for, let’s say, teenagers, like a love story for teenagers. Reality is not like this.
I’m being here after five years – nearly five years – of the war, because I have the support of the majority of the Syrians.
Reuters has more on its earlier news flash that Morocco has issued an arrest warrant for Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam Salah.
The warrant was issued at the end of last month, the Moroccan police have said, although according to a Moroccan security source it is not clear whether Abdeslam fled to Morocco or North Africa.
It is not clear why the report of the Moroccan arrest warrant is being made only now.
Assad's fate should be decided by the Syrian people, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told reporters.
RIA Novosti quoted Peskov as saying:
Right now, efforts are being focussed on drawing up lists of which [groups] are considered to be terrorist organizations, and which are considered the moderate opposition, who can and should be participants in a political settlement. This work is not yet complete. You know, that there are some differences between various parties, right now there is some rapprochement.
It's up tp Syrians to decide Assad's fate themselves, not Russia.
The Kurdish YPG says that at least 50 people have been killed and 80 more wounded in a triple truck bombing by IS militants in the town of Tel Tamer in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province.
The YPG control Hasakah and are fighting IS militants.
From our news desk:
'Russian-Speaking' Woman Carries Out Suicide Attack In Afghanistan
A suicide bombing in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province has killed five people.
Nangarhar governor's office spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said the incident occurred shortly after security forces arrested nine Russian-speaking foreigners, including a woman and three children late on December 10.
Khogyani said the group was transferred to a security forces office when the woman who had been arrested detonated explosives strapped to her body.
The three children and one Afghan intelligence officer were killed in the blast.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
An investigation is under way on the remaining members of the group that was detained.
This just in from AFP. No more details as yet.
Some of the weapons used in the November 13 Paris attacks were manufactured in Serbia's arms factory, including one that was legally exported to the United States in 2013, a company official told AFP.
Serbia's Interior Ministry was asked by French police and Interpol to check the serial numbers of seven items of weaponry believed to have been manufactured in Serbia.
Conditions are taking shape for cooperation between Russia and the U.S.-led coalition against IS in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, according to RIA Novosti.
"I think that right now the conditions are coming together for genuine cooperation with the coalition, which will be based on collective work, including to identify goals," Lavrov told a news conference following talks in Rome today with his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni.