AFP, Washington :The United States expressed concern to Moscow on Saturday about what it called reports of an imminent and enhanced Russian military buildup in war-torn Syria.Washington made its views known in a telephone call from Secretary of State John Kerry to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said.”The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL coalition operating in Syria,” the State Department said.In his call with Lavrov, Kerry discussed “US concerns about reports suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian buildup there,” the department said.”The two agreed that discussions on the Syrian conflict would continue in New York later this month,” it said.The New York Times reported that Russia has sent a military advance team to ally Syria and was taking other steps that Washington fears may signal plans to vastly expand its military support for President Bashar al-Assad.The Times said the moves included the recent transport of prefabricated housing units for hundreds of people to a Syrian airfield and the delivery of a portable air traffic control station there.Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was asked Friday whether Russia was taking part in military operations against the Islamic State group in Syria.”We are looking at various options but so far what you are talking about is not on the agenda,” he said.”To say we’re ready to do this today — so far it’s premature to talk about this. But we are already giving Syria quite serious help with equipment and training soldiers, with our weapons,” RIA Novosti state news agency quoted Putin as saying.Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday’s telephone call was made at Kerry’s initiative.It made no mention of US concerns about a possible Russian military buildup, but said the two men discussed “different aspects of the situation in Syria and its environs, as well as the objectives of the fight against IS and other terrorist groups.”The foreign ministry said they spoke of “cooperation” between Moscow and Washington to “support UN efforts aimed at launching a political process in Syria.”Meanwhile, Britain moved closer to military action in Syria as a senior minister on Saturday said Europe’s migration crisis had to be tackled at its source and a newspaper said a parliamentary vote on bombing Islamic State militants in Syria could take place next month.Finance minister George Osborne said Britain and Europe had to find a way to tackle the conflict in Syria as well as provide asylum to those genuinely fleeing persecution.”You’ve got to deal with the problem at source, which is this evil Assad regime and the ISIL (Islamic State) terrorists, and you need a comprehensive plan for a more stable, peaceful Syria,” Osborne told Reuters in an interview.”A huge challenge of course, but you can’t just let that crisis fester. We’ve got to get engaged in that.”The Sunday Times newspaper said British Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to hold a vote in parliament in early October to pave the way for air strikes against Islamic State in Syria.He was also seeking to launch a military and intelligence offensive against people traffickers, the newspaper said, quoting senior officials.
