News / Brèves Back to previous selection / Retour à la sélection précédente Syria Open To Cooperation To Fight ISIS As Long As Syrian Sovereignty Is Respected 26 August 2014 (LPAC)—In a press conference in Damascus this morning, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem announced his government’s willingness to cooperate with other countries in combatting ISIS in Syria and Iraq, provided that Syria’s sovereignty be respected. "Syria is ready to cooperate and coordinate on the regional and international level in the war on terror," al-Moallem said, according to the Associated Press. "But any effort to combat terrorism should be coordinated with the Syrian government." He warned that "Any strike which is not coordinated with the government will be considered as aggression." Moallem made the point that air strikes against ISIS and the Nusra Front alone won’t do the job. He called for "drying up" their sources of support, including cutting off the flow of funding and arms from supporters in the region, including Turkey and Qatar, both of which he mentioned by name. Moallem’s comments this morning, came after the Syrian air base at Tabka in eastern Syria fell to ISIS forces, yesterday. The base at been surrounded for several days but some number of Syrian soldiers, along with vehicles and the aircraft based there were able to escape and, according to Moallem, regrouped in other areas.