UN urges Moscow to set up anti-ISIS coalition

(AGI) Moscow, Sept 14 - The Russian deputy foreign minister hasstated that Russia is ready to be involved in the UN's requestfor an anti-ISIS coalition. "Russia is committed inmulti-vectoral efforts to ensure the implementation" ofPresident Vladimir Putin's initiative of setting up a broadfront against ISIS threats, "with the participation of keyinternational actors and Middle Eastern countries, includingSyria and Iraq," said Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Russian ForeignMinister and Special Representative of the Kremlin for theMiddle East and African Countries. The dignitary responded in awritten interview to AGI on the major issues affecting theregion. According to Bogdanov, Moscow expects the goal to beachieved with "the contribution of the UN Security Council opensession on the theme of 'International Peacekeeping andSecurity: conflict resolution in the Middle East and inNorthern Africa and the fight against the terror threat'. Thesession was proposed by Russia and is scheduled to take placein New York at the end of September, during the Russianrotating presidency of the Security Council. "The issuesincluded are extremely topical. In the Middle East and inNorthern Africa the situation is becoming very difficult and itwould not be exaggerated to say that it is critical. New crisesare overtaking the old conflicts, such as the Arab-Palestinianone. The region is torn by deadly conflicts which haveescalated in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, and fuel each otherextensively," added the minister. All this, warned thedignitary, has favoured "a dramatic rise in terror threats"."The result of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the subsequentattempt of external interference in the Syrian conflict,including flirtation with armed opponents, has given rise to anunprecedented threat - ISIS," said Bogdanov. "Within thisframework, there is an urgent need to make an honest andexhaustive analysis of conflicts in the Middle East andNorthern Africa, with a road map for our joint action,including the anti-terrorism vector, in compliance with theUnited Nations Charter and the aim of building a stronger andmore effective regional security architecture. An authenticsolution to the current issues is possible only with a jointapproach, on the long-enduring basis of International Law,without double standards and with the support of the SecurityCouncil resolutions," he added. "The session on 'InternationalPeacekeeping and Security' should emphasize the urgent need toimplement measures for the solution and prevention of conflictsin the Middle East region and in Northern Africa, focusing onthe necessary steps to be taken in order to hamper terroristrisks in the region. We rely on a high level, broad andconcerned participation of all United Nations membercountries," concluded Bogdanov.. .