This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/27/russia-will-pull-out-of-syria-coalition-if-downing-of-jet-is-repeated-says-putin

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Putin: Russia will pull out of Syria coalition if downing of jet is repeated Syrian government troops could be used to help fight Isis, France's foreign minister says
(about 3 hours later)
Russia will pull out of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria if there was any repeat of the shooting down of its fighter jet by Turkey, Vladimir Putin has warned. Troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad could be used to fight Islamic State, but only in the framework of a political transition without the Syrian president, the French foreign minister said on Friday.
Speaking after talks in the Kremlin with French president Francois Hollande, Putin voiced lingering anger at Turkey’s actions, saying he viewed the downing of the jet as an act of betrayal by a country Moscow had thought was its friend. The remarks by Laurent Fabius underscored the deep fault line between the west and Russia as François Hollande, the French president, seeks to forge a common front against Isis after the atrocities in Paris that killed 130 people.
“Troops on the ground cannot be ours, but [there can be] Syrian soldiers from the Free Syrian Army, Sunni Arab states, and why not regime troops,” Fabius told RTL radio without specifying whether he meant immediately or in the long-term.
Clarifying Fabius’ comments, an official said the minister was reiterating France’s long-standing position that there could be no cooperation with Syrian government forces to battle Isis until a unity government was in place.
“It could only happen in the framework of a political transition and Fabius stresses that this transition is urgent and indispensable,” the official said.
On Thursday, France and Russia agreed to exchange intelligence on Isis and other rebel groups to improve the effectiveness of their bombing campaigns in Syria, following talks between Hollande and Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
However, the French and Russian leaders remained at odds over the fate of Assad. Russia continues to back Assad, but the west and Sunni Arab countries blame him for Syria’s nearly five-year civil war and want him removed.
“What we agreed, and this is important, is to strike only terrorists and Daesh (Isis) and to not strike forces that are fighting terrorism. We will exchange information about whom to hit and whom not to hit,” Hollande told a joint news conference with Putin on Thursday.
France will also increase its support to rebel groups battling Isis on the ground in Syria, Hollande added. Putin said Moscow was ready to unite with Paris against a “mutual enemy”, but he reaffirmed Moscow’s long-standing view that Assad and the Syrian government were also allies in the fight against terrorism.
Isis has said it downed a Russian plane on October 31 over the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board.
Related: The story of a radicalisation: 'I was not thinking my thoughts. I was not myself'Related: The story of a radicalisation: 'I was not thinking my thoughts. I was not myself'
And while Putin said Moscow was ready to keep cooperating with western powers against the “mutual enemy” of Isis, he said the downing of the jet by Turkey this week was “unacceptable”. “I believe that the fate of the president of Syria must stay in the hands of the Syrian people,” Putin said, in stark contrast to Hollande, who insisted Assad could play no future political role in the country.
“We are ready to cooperate with the coalition which is led by the United States. But of course incidents like the destruction of our aircraft and the deaths of our servicemen ... are absolutely unacceptable,” Putin said at a news conference with Hollande. The Syrian head of state “does not have his place in Syria’s future”, said the French president.
“And we proceed from the position that there will be no repeat of this, otherwise we’ll have no need of cooperation with anybody, any coalition, any country.” Although Assad remains a sticking point, both Russia and France have stepped up their bombing campaigns in Syria since the attacks in Paris, with Putin and Hollande stressing the need to step up airstrikes against vehicles transporting oil across Isis-controlled territory and to hit to a key source of financing for the militant group.
Putin also used the joint news conference with Hollande to repeat his accusations against Turkey of turning a blind eye to oil smuggling by Isis. He said it was “theoretically possible” that Ankara was unaware of oil supplies entering its territory from Isis-controlled areas of Syria but added that this was hard to imagine.
Relations between Russia and Turkey, a Nato member, have deteriorated sharply since Turkish forces downed a Russian warplane on Tuesday and Moscow has warned of “serious consequences” for economic ties.
The Russian leader said, under the cooperation already established with the US-led coalition, Russia’s military had passed on details of the flight plan of the jet that was shot down this week.The Russian leader said, under the cooperation already established with the US-led coalition, Russia’s military had passed on details of the flight plan of the jet that was shot down this week.
“Why did we pass this information to the Americans? Either they were not controlling what their allies were doing, or they are leaking this information all over the place,” Putin said.“Why did we pass this information to the Americans? Either they were not controlling what their allies were doing, or they are leaking this information all over the place,” Putin said.
Hollande was on the latest leg of a diplomatic mission to build a common front against the militant Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris two weeks ago that killed 130 people. He met US president Barack Obama on Tuesday and has also asked David Cameron to swing the British military behind the campaign.
With Russia suffering an Isis-suspected attack on a passenger jet in the Sinai peninsula in October, killing all 224 people on board, Hollande and Putin agreed to greater military cooperation.
They would “exchange information about which territories are occupied by the healthy part of the opposition rather than terrorists, and will avoid targeting them with our airstrikes”, Putin said.
Russia was ready to cooperate with other groups ready to fight Isis and he reaffirmed Moscow’s long-standing view that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was also an ally in the fight against terrorism.
“I believe that the fate of the president of Syria must stay in the hands of the Syrian people,” Putin said, describing the Syrian army as a “natural ally” if Isis was to be defeated on the ground.
Hollande, in contrast, said the Syrian head of state “does not have his place in Syria’s future”.
Both Russia and France have stepped up their aerial bombing campaigns in Syria since the attacks in Paris. Both leaders said strikes against vehicles transporting oil across territory controlled by Islamic State would increase and thereby deliver a blow to a key source of financing for the militant group.
But Putin used the media conference to continue the war of words over the downing of the jet by repeating accusations against Turkey of turning a blind eye to oil smuggling by Islamic State.
He said it was “theoretically possible” that Ankara was unaware of oil supplies entering its territory from Isis-controlled areas of Syria but added that this was hard to imagine.
Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev alleged on Wednesday that Turkish officials were benefiting from Isis oil sales, while foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said it was no secret that “terrorists” use Turkish territory.Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev alleged on Wednesday that Turkish officials were benefiting from Isis oil sales, while foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said it was no secret that “terrorists” use Turkish territory.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking in Ankara on Thursday, rejected the accusations. “Shame on you. It’s clear where Turkey buys its oil and gas ... Those who claim we are buying oil from [Isis] like this must prove their claims. Nobody can slander this country.Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking in Ankara on Thursday, rejected the accusations. “Shame on you. It’s clear where Turkey buys its oil and gas ... Those who claim we are buying oil from [Isis] like this must prove their claims. Nobody can slander this country.
Related: Why did it take Turkey just 17 seconds to shoot down Russian jet?
“If you are seeking the source of weaponry and financial power of [Isis], the first place to look is the Assad regime and countries that act with it,” he said.“If you are seeking the source of weaponry and financial power of [Isis], the first place to look is the Assad regime and countries that act with it,” he said.
Hollande said the downing of the Russian jet highlighted the need for countries to coordinate their military activities more closely to avoid a possible repetition of what he called a “regrettable incident“. He again called for a “de-escalation” of the tensions between Moscow and Ankara.Hollande said the downing of the Russian jet highlighted the need for countries to coordinate their military activities more closely to avoid a possible repetition of what he called a “regrettable incident“. He again called for a “de-escalation” of the tensions between Moscow and Ankara.
Meanwhile France will on Friday mourn the victims of the Paris attacks, with Hollande leading a solemn ceremony in the capital.Meanwhile France will on Friday mourn the victims of the Paris attacks, with Hollande leading a solemn ceremony in the capital.
Related: Why did it take Turkey just 17 seconds to shoot down Russian jet?
Families of those killed will join some of the wounded at ceremonies at the Invalides, the gilded 17th-century complex in central Paris that houses a military hospital and museum and Napoleon’s tomb.