The Pentagon expressed alarm this week after Russia failed to quickly answer proposals made during initial talks, even as it launched cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea and repeatedly violated Turkish air space.
But on Friday, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Moscow had filed an appropriate response.
"The Department of Defense has received a formal response from the Russian ministry of defense regarding DoD's proposal to ensure safe air operations over Syria," Cook said.
"Department leaders are reviewing the Russian response and talks are likely to take place as soon as this weekend."
US officials were furious after Russia only gave them a vague, verbal "heads-up" about an hour before Moscow launched its bombing campaign on September 30.
The two countries had "deconfliction" talks the next day via videoconference, aimed at ensuring Russian warplanes didn't cross paths with drones and US-led coalition jets.
- Talks center around basic safety measures including which language air crews should communicate in and how much space planes should leave each other.
Russian planes have flown near a US drone, officials say, and the US military has had to reroute some flights to avoid any close calls.
The Pentagon for weeks watched Russia build up its military presence in northwestern Syria, but the launch of Moscow's campaign seemed to catch officials off guard.
The United States has since last year led a 60-plus member coalition of nations bombing Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
Also Friday, the Obama administration announced plans to overhaul the Pentagon's much-criticized program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to fight IS in Syria.
Instead of training units of troops to fight, the program is being "refocused" to arm selected rebel leaders whose groups have been battling IS in Syria.
These groups, boosted by US-supplied weapons, will supposedly push into IS territory in Syria.
AFP
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
10/10/15
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Washington et Moscou prêts à de nouvelles discussions sur l'espace aérien syrien ...
ReplyDeleteLa Russie et les Etats-Unis sont prêts à reprendre des discussions sur la sûreté de l'espace aérien en Syrie, où les deux pays sont engagés dans des opérations militaires distinctes, a affirmé vendredi le porte-parole du Pentagone.
"Le ministère (américain) de la Défense a reçu une réponse formelle du ministère russe de la Défense à qui il avait formulé une proposition pour garantir la sûreté des opérations aériennes en Syrie", a annoncé le porte-parole Peter Cook. "Les responsables du Pentagone sont en train d'examiner cette réponse et des négociations pourraient avoir lieu dès ce week-end", a-t-il ajouté.
Cette problématique de sûreté de l'espace aérien est apparue avec l'entrée de la Russie dans le conflit syrien le 30 septembre. Les Etats-Unis sont eux à la tête d'une coalition antidjihadistes qui mène des bombardements en Syrie depuis septembre 2014.................rtbf.be
10/10/15
Moscow’s unexpected barrage of airstrikes on the Islamic State targets in Syria last week caught the United States "flat-footed" although Washington had information on Russia’s increasing presence in the country, the Washington Post has reported...
ReplyDeleteThe White House knew about Russia’s requests for other countries to allow both its cargo planes and also fighter aircraft and bombers to fly via their airspace, a senior Obama administration official said. "It was clear that something pretty big was up."
Even after Russia deployed fighter jets and teams of military advisors to Syria, "the United States seemed to be caught flat-footed by the barrage of airstrikes that Moscow launched last week," the report said............http://tass.ru/en/world/827759