France and Russia to co-operate in fight against IS

Thu, 26 Nov, 2015 - 20:05

French president Francois Hollande has said Russia and France will co-ordinate their military strikes against Islamic State (IS).

Speaking after talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, Mr Hollande emphasised his own view that Syrian president Bashar Assad has no place in the country’s future.

He called for the formation of a transitional government that would draft a new constitution and hold elections.

Mr Putin confirmed that Moscow and France had agreed to co-ordinate the work of their militaries and enhance their exchange of information.

The Russian premier said Mr Assad’s fate should be decided by the people in his country.

Mr Putin called the Syrian army a “natural ally” of any international coalition fighting IS, and added that he and Mr Hollande had agreed to avoid striking any groups fighting the Islamic extremists.