Russian Envoy to UN: US Occupation Blamed for the Rise of ’ISIL’

Local Editor

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, stressed that the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States led to the ripening of the Daesh "ISIL" terrorist group in the Middle East.

He further dismissed the US claims accusing the Syrian government for the rise of the terrorist group.

""ISIL" appeared and became active in Iraq when the militants began storming Baghdad ... So, the "ISIL" ripened in Iraq during the US occupation ... the American occupation should be blamed for the rise of "ISIL"," Vitaly Churkin said in a TV interview to the Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya.

He also added that it was time to "start creating an international coalition to fight "ISIL", which is what President Putin's proposing," referring to the Russian president's speech at the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Tuesday.

"Russia, as you know, has proposed to form a wide coalition to fight extremists without any delay. It should unite everyone who is ready and is already contributing to tackling terrorism," Putin said at the CSTO summit speaking about the Islamic State threat.
In his Wednesday interview, Churkin called the current US-led coalition fighting "ISIL" "flawed."

"The coalition acts without the UN Security Council mandate and lacks some very important actors such as the Syrian government. That is why it is flawed," he said.

The Russian envoy to the UN also criticized the US policy towards Syria by saying that it "raises serious questions" and "creates a dangerous precedent."

"All Russia's actions in Syria are coordinated with the Syrian government and stay within the norms of the international law," he added, and once again emphasized that Russia disagrees with the US statements claiming that Russian help to the Syrian authorities negatively affects the situation in this country.

Earlier on Wednesday, John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, warned his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that Russian continued support of the Syrian government "risks exacerbating and extending the conflict."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team