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Foreign ministers at UN SC favor immediate action against IS — Russian Foreign Ministry

"One phrase runs all through the speeches of those addressing today’s session of the UN Security Council — it is time to act, we have no time left to wait," Maria Zakharova says
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova Artyom Geodakyan/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova
© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

NEW YORK, September 30. /TASS/. There’s no time left to wait and immediate action is needed against Islamic State — this has been the main signal coming from foreign ministers addressing a UN Security Council session, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"One phrase runs all through the speeches of those addressing today’s session of the UN Security Council — it is time to act, we have no time left to wait," she told reporters at a briefing. The spokesperson marked, however, a dangerous but important tendency of western media ‘stovepiping’ on civilian victims in Russian air strikes in Syria.

"Hardly had Russia launched an operation to fight Islamic State, which is carried out at the request of official Damascus as it has been repeatedly said, hardly had [Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov said the first words at the UN Security Council, when numerous media stovepiping appeared on civilians dying in the Russian operation," Zakharova said.

"All this is an information attack, a war of which we have heard so many times," she added.

Russian Foreign Ministry surprised at scale, speed of info injections into social networks

The scale and speed of information injections into social networks regarding the Russian operation in Syria is surprising, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova said while answering a question on a report in the internet on people allegedly killed as a result of Russian air strikes in Syria.

"We have just started the operation, and social networks already publish photos of alleged victims," Zakharova told journalists. "What can I say? We all know perfectly how such pictures are made. The speed with which it all was prepared is surprising."

She underscored that all data regarding the operation Russia conducts at the request of official Damascus and in line with international law and Russian legislation will be commented by Russian official bodies, in particular, the Defense Ministry.

"That’s why I am calling, including on Western media, to turn to top officials in the Defense Ministry press service to obtain all required information," Zakharova.

The Federation Council upper house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday granted permission to the Russian president to use Russian armed forces in Syria.

"The Federation Council unanimously supported the president’s request with 162 votes in favour [of granting permission]," Russian Presidential Administration chief Sergey Ivanov said.

Russia would use only its air force in Syria against Islamic State at Syrian President Bashar Assad’s request, he said.