US must collaborate with Russia in fighting Daesh: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed George Jabour, president of Syrian UN Associations in Damascus, about President Barack Obama calling on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to make a “strategic adjustment” in fight against Daesh terrorists in Syria.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Talk to us about the recent comments made by US President Barack Obama. It seems that Washington is still quite bitter at Russia’s efforts to battle Daesh in Syria?

Jabour: Well it is the fault of America. America should have collaborated with Russia in the first place in order to fight the Islamic State (Daesh). This was proposed by Russia but then America built its own alliance and then Russia built its own alliance. This is a formula for a non-success of the two alliances. The two alliances should meet. Russia and America should work together.

And then again we are grateful in Syria for the Russian intervention, in particular, because it was done through legal means, through international means, through agreement between Russia and the government of Syria. This is not the case with the American air involvement in the fight against Daesh in Syrian skies. America should abide more by international law.

Press TV: Obama said Moscow’s military operations in Syria “did not help stop the ISIL and even in some ways strengthened it.” Your thoughts on those comments and about the United States’ so-called coalition efforts in their battle against Daesh, they have been reportedly battling Daesh for over a year and the ISIL terrorists are [roaming] undeterred.  

Jabour: Well there is a cooperation between Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq on how to collect information on Daesh. America is not part of it. The allies of America are not part of it. What we need is more cooperation.

Now the statement of Obama warning Russia not to attack what they call the armed moderate forces against the regime is somewhat misplaced because so far those moderate armed militias were not identified yet. The identification of them should come later this month, perhaps next month or perhaps next year.

This is what we were told … so you cannot tell Russia not to attack armed forces that are not described as moderate. So what we need essentially before we identify them is a more Russian-American collaboration and we need the collaboration of most the Russians and Americans with the Syrian armed forces on the earth of Syria.

America is not cooperating with the Syrian forces, Russia is doing. America is not abiding by international law. Russia is abiding by international law. I do not think that Obama has the right to warn Russia on not attacking certain militias.  

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