Russia, U.S. face off at U.N. over parallel Syria air campaigns

By Denis Dyomkin and Arshad Mohammed UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and the United States faced off at the United Nations on Wednesday over parallel air campaigns against Islamic State in Syria, with both sides claiming legitimacy for their actions but differing over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Hours after Russian launched its first air strikes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a Security Council meeting that Moscow would liaise with the U.S.-led coalition of Western allies and regional states that has been flying missions for a year. [ID:nL5N12013M] The United States, France and other allies questioned whether the Russian planes had hit Islamic State positions, as Moscow said, saying they were in fact aimed at Western-backed rebels who have fought both Islamic State and Assad's forces. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Russia had informed the United States of its intended strikes an hour in advance through a diplomat in Baghdad and asked that U.S. aircraft avoid Syrian airspace. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told the council the Russian warning was being ignored and that coalition flights and attacks had continued on Wednesday. "These strikes will continue," he said. The Russian attacks occurred before Moscow and Washington had begun agreed talks on "deconfliction": averting clashes between different militaries operating in the same theatre. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting at the United Nations on Monday, had agreed that such consultations would take place. GROWING BIG-POWER TENSION Reflecting growing tension between the big powers, Kerry phoned Lavrov early on Wednesday to tell him the United States regarded the strikes as dangerous, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. But Kerry told the Security Council that, while coalition operations would continue, Washington would welcome Russian strikes if they were genuinely aimed at Islamic State or other militant groups affiliated with al Qaeda. Kerry said the United States would be troubled if Russia struck areas where those groups were not present, adding this would suggest Moscow's real aim was to prop up longtime ally Assad, who is on the defensive after a four-year civil war. The Homs area attacked by Russian planes is crucial to Assad's control of western Syria. Insurgent control of that area would bisect the Assad-held west, separating Damascus from coastal cities where Russia has military facilities. "We must not and will not be confused in our fight against ISIL with support for Assad," Kerry said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "ISIL itself cannot be defeated as long as Bashar al-Assad remains president of Syria." But he said if Russia was genuinely committed to fighting Islamic State, "we are prepared to welcome those efforts and to find a way to deconflict our operations and thereby multiply the military pressure on ISIL and affiliated groups." He said talks on deconfliction could be held as soon as this week. RUSSIAN DRAFT Russia circulated a draft council resolution that Putin has said would be "aimed at coordinating the actions of all forces that confront Islamic State." Lavrov said it would be discussed over the next month. The draft, seen by Reuters, welcomes efforts of countries fighting Islamic State, al Qaeda, Nusrah Front and other linked groups and calls upon them "to coordinate their activities with the consent of the States, in the territories of which such activities are conducted." The U.S.-led coalition informed Syria when it began air strikes a year ago but did not seek permission. Coalition members say they are acting in collective self-defence at the request of neighbouring Iraq. Russia has justified its strikes by saying Syria requested its military assistance. The Russian draft resolution also asked states combating extremist groups in the region to submit periodic reports to the Security Council on their activities. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris would only support the proposal if three conditions were met. He said Russia needed to state clearly who the enemy was, push Assad to stop indiscriminate barrel bombing of civilians, and make clear that Assad would not be in government after a political transition. A French diplomatic source said Russia's air strikes did not suggest Moscow was ready to do that, and said: "We can't work (together) in these conditions." Lavrov said Russia backed U.N. efforts to get the Syrian parties talking and said there was a need for "an inclusive and balanced outside assistance for the political process." (This story restores dropped words "on condition of anonymity" in 9th paragraph) (Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Lou Charbonneau and John Irish; Writing by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by David Storey and Jonathan Oatis)