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Ground Operation Against IS Must Have UN Peacekeeping Mandate: Russia

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Russia would back a possible UN resolution on the use of ground forces against Islamic State militants only if the document includes a peacekeeping mandate approved by Iraq and Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday.

Updated 4:52 p.m. Moscow Time

MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Russia would back a possible UN resolution on the use of ground forces against Islamic State militants only if the document includes a peacekeeping mandate approved by Iraq and Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday.

"A lot would depend on the text of a draft resolution," Bogdanov, the special envoy of the Russian president for the Middle East, said.

"In any case, under the UN Charter, a mandate for this kind of operation should be authorized by the UN Security Council, and contain fundamental peacekeeping provisions with mandatory approval of the governments of states where international military operations would be carried out," Bogdanov continued.

Deputy Foreign Minister reiterated that Russia stands for a consistent fight against extremists and has been involved in a fierce battle against terrorism for a long time already. He reaffirmed Russia's commitment to the principles of international law and stated that all international actions countering Islamic State should strictly comply with international law.

In August, US President Barack Obama authorized airstrikes against the IS positions in Iraq extending the operation into Syria in September and creating an international anti-IS coalition to fight the extremists. The coalition, which currently involves 62 nations, including the European Union and the Arab League, has conducted a series of airstrikes against the jihadi group in recent month, with some of the members refraining from any actions in Syria. The deployment of ground forces has so far been ruled out.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the US-led coalition to arm and train Syrian and Iraqi ground forces to battle Islamic State, saying that airstrikes alone were not enough.

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