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| Syria 'deconfliction hotline' in use by Russia and US, says Kremlin | Syria 'deconfliction hotline' in use by Russia and US, says Kremlin |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A “deconfliction” telephone line for Syria between Russia and the US is being used by both sides, the Kremlin has said, as tensions mount over the prospect of a US strike on Russia’s Middle East ally. | A “deconfliction” telephone line for Syria between Russia and the US is being used by both sides, the Kremlin has said, as tensions mount over the prospect of a US strike on Russia’s Middle East ally. |
| “The line is used and it is active. In general the line is used by both sides,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. | “The line is used and it is active. In general the line is used by both sides,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. |
| The US has threatened retaliation after a chemical attack at the weekend on Douma, a town outside Damascus. | The US has threatened retaliation after a chemical attack at the weekend on Douma, a town outside Damascus. |
| On Thursday Donald Trump appeared to row back on the prospect of an imminent strike with a tweet that said action could take place “very soon or not so soon at all!” | |
| On Wednesday he had warned Russia to “get ready” for a missile attack on its ally Syria, suggesting imminent retaliation. But on Thursday, he wrote that he “never said when an attack on Syria would take place.” | |
| In developments on the ground in Syria, control of Douma has been transferred to Syrian government forces, Russia announced. Russian military police had also been deployed in the town, Moscow said, as Russia prepared the ground for a delegation of specialists from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). | |
| Russia’s military has denied that soil samples or other tests revealed the use of chemical weapons. | Russia’s military has denied that soil samples or other tests revealed the use of chemical weapons. |
| The deconfliction hotline was established in 2016 between US central command in Qatar and its Russian equivalent in Syria. It is used to prevent a direct clash between US and Russian troops in the crowded Syrian conflict, where Russia is backing the government and the US supports some opposition forces. | The deconfliction hotline was established in 2016 between US central command in Qatar and its Russian equivalent in Syria. It is used to prevent a direct clash between US and Russian troops in the crowded Syrian conflict, where Russia is backing the government and the US supports some opposition forces. |
| Dozens of Russian mercenaries and other supporters of Bashar al-Assad were killed earlier this year after an ill-fated assault on a Kurdish base backed by US airpower. The deconfliction line was used during that clash. | Dozens of Russian mercenaries and other supporters of Bashar al-Assad were killed earlier this year after an ill-fated assault on a Kurdish base backed by US airpower. The deconfliction line was used during that clash. |
| On Thursday Peskov sidestepped more detailed questions about the discussions over the expected US strike, saying just that “both sides are using the line”. | On Thursday Peskov sidestepped more detailed questions about the discussions over the expected US strike, saying just that “both sides are using the line”. |
| In April 2017 the Russian military threatened to close the line after Trump ordered a missile strike against a Syrian airbase involved in a chemical attack. However, Moscow did not fulfil the threat and the channel remained open. | |
| Moscow and the group of western allies led by the US voted against each other’s proposals for setting up a body dedicated to investigating repeated poison gas use in Syria in the United Nations security council earlier this wee. | Moscow and the group of western allies led by the US voted against each other’s proposals for setting up a body dedicated to investigating repeated poison gas use in Syria in the United Nations security council earlier this wee. |
| On Thursday the Russian foreign ministry called for the OPCW to deploy specialists before an expected missile strike by US forces, possibly supported by France and the UK. | On Thursday the Russian foreign ministry called for the OPCW to deploy specialists before an expected missile strike by US forces, possibly supported by France and the UK. |
| “Any delay in visiting the location of the alleged incident could lead to another reckless move of Washington, which already fired missiles on Syria’s Shayrat airbase in April 2017 in violation of the UN charter and international law,” the ministry said in a statement. | “Any delay in visiting the location of the alleged incident could lead to another reckless move of Washington, which already fired missiles on Syria’s Shayrat airbase in April 2017 in violation of the UN charter and international law,” the ministry said in a statement. |
| Yet there were already signs that Moscow was preparing for a missile strike. Satellite images released by the Israeli company ImageSat International showed that Russian ships had deployed from Russia’s naval base at the Syrian city of Tartus. | Yet there were already signs that Moscow was preparing for a missile strike. Satellite images released by the Israeli company ImageSat International showed that Russian ships had deployed from Russia’s naval base at the Syrian city of Tartus. |
| Russian media, including the respected business daily Kommersant, reported on Thursday that Russian officials were in contact with the Pentagon over the potential strikes and expected to receive coordinates of the targets before any attack in order to prevent an accidental conflict. | Russian media, including the respected business daily Kommersant, reported on Thursday that Russian officials were in contact with the Pentagon over the potential strikes and expected to receive coordinates of the targets before any attack in order to prevent an accidental conflict. |
| Syria | Syria |
| US military | US military |
| Russia | Russia |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa |
| Europe | Europe |
| Chemical weapons | Chemical weapons |
| news | news |
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