U.S. WORRIED OVER RUSSIAN BUILD-UP IN SYRIA
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Moscow’s continued support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “risks exacerbating and extending the conflict” amid growing concerns over reports of Moscow’s military build-up in Syria. Reuters reports that the Tuesday phone call between Kerry and Lavrov is believed to be the third in the past ten days.
- Both sides are eager to defeat ISIS, but differences on Assad remain, with Washington wary of any move that might reinforce the Syrian government. French daily Le Monde reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use a speech at the United Nations later this month to call for an international coalition to join with Assad to defeat the Islamist group.
- Australia has carried out its first airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, expanding its operations from Iraq. France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meanwhile told radio station France Inter this morning that France will begin its own strikes “in a few weeks.”
- In an interview with Russian network RT, Syrian President Assad criticized “European double standards” as the source of the refugee crisis coming out of his country. “It’s like the West now is crying for the refugees with one eye and aiming at them with a machine gun with the second one,” Assad said. “If you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists.” He also said that “forces” that were previously fighting against the Syrian government were now fighting “alongside the Syrian state” against jihadists.
MIGRANTS TAKE NEW ROUTE AFTER HUNGARY CRACKDOWN
A first group of 150 migrants have crossed from Serbia into Croatia this morning, in forced changes to what’s become known as the Balkan route after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia and imposed tough legislation to halt the influx, the BBC reports. From Croatia, a recent European Union member that nevertheless still sits outside of the Schengen area, the populations are hoping to reach Slovenia (a Schengen state) before moving to Austria or Germany. Croatia’s Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said the country had prepared an “emergency plan in the case of an influx of thousands of refugees.” Read more in English from Deutsche Welle.
- The route through Croatia is potentially dangerous, with some fearing the migrants might stray into minefields along the border with Serbia, the remains of the 1990s war.
- Over the past 24 hours, Greek coast guards have rescued 773 people attempting to reach the country by boat from Turkey in 19 separate search and rescue operations.
