Russia: Lavrov and al-Jubeir at loggerheads over how to fight IS

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke of the necessity of supporting armies engaged in fighting terrorism in the region where the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) hold ground, Tuesday, as he held a press conference with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Moscow. Lavrov went on to state that the "main task to combat the threat of terrorism" should trump the rivalries between warring parties until "the threat has diminished" Al-Jubeir, however, stated that the Saudi Kingdom is employing a different approach to fight IS, saying it is "impossible to combine forces with the Syrians [meaning Assad's government] to fight IS." While voicing support for a global fight against terror in a unified manner, as proposed by Russian President Putin, al-Jubeir stated that the fight against IS is being fought by the Saudi Kingdom, along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other "friends from other states." The Saudi foreign minister then went on to launch an attack on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who he claimed "pointed his gun at... the moderate Syrian opposition, which led to IS growing and taking control of vast areas in Syria." Lavrov later spoke of Russia's Foreign Ministry co-ordinating a round of discussions with the parties of opposition in Syria, including the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union, to ensure maximum coordination in the fight against terror.