Russia for in-camera UN talks on Turkey action

Moscow

Russia’s UN mission had no immediate comment. But council diplomats said they expected a Nov. 24 incident in which Turkey shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian-Turkish border would come up. Turkish officials have said the Russian plane it shot down violated Turkish airspace, whereas Moscow says the aircraft was over Syria.

Finger pointing
Russia says it is targeting Islamic State militants. Western officials say very few of Russia’s airstrikes were aimed at Islamic State, with most of them hitting Western-backed Syrian rebel groups. Separately, Iraq has accused Turkey of violating its sovereignty by deploying a heavily armed contingent of forces to a camp near the front line in northern Iraq last week.
 
US denial
Meanwhile, Syria’s government said a US-led military coalition carried out a deadly air strike on a Syrian army camp on Sunday, but coalition officials said the report was false. This is the first time Damascus has made such an accusation. But a U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States is certain that Russia was responsible for the deadly strike on the Syrian army camp. He flatly dismissed claims that US-led coalition jets were responsible.

‘Flagrant aggression’
Britain joined the United States and its allies last week in the bombing campaign against Islamic State in Syria, ahead of proposed international peace talks later this month. Syria’s Foreign sent letters to the UN Secretary General and the head of the U.N. Security Council condemning the “flagrant aggression,” state news agency SANA said.

Canada to withdraw jets
Reports say Canada’s new Liberal government will withdraw six fighter jets that have been attacking Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria. The Liberals, who took power last month, say Canada can contribute more effectively to the US-led campaign against the militants by assigning more troops to train Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. “It’s a matter of weeks, not months,” Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told reporters when asked when the jets would be pulled out.

Dion’s comments were the most specific so far from a cabinet member about when the planes would return home.

“We’re carrying out 2 per cent of the air strikes. We’re going to do something more efficient for the coalition,” he said. Diplomatic sources say the United States, France and Britain have privately expressed their unease about Canada’s pledge on the grounds it could undermine the effort to contain the IS group.