World powers fight to concur on Syria

UNITED NATIONS: France challenged Russia to back its words with actions as major powers on Tuesday fought to resolve differences between Moscow over struggling Islamic State militants and the West over finishing the civil war in the Middle Eastern nation.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin, that has sent tanks and warplanes to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, called to get a fresh anti-Islamic State coalition, diplomats pursued new strategies to create a solid front from the militants.

“What is significant in the struggle against Islamic State isn’t the media strike, it is the actual strike,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in reply Putin’s statements Monday at the assembly of world leaders.

Fabius said the Russians “speak a great deal, but as far as I could tell they haven’t committed any airplanes against Islamic State.”

The militants command large areas in both states, using mayhem created in Syria when Assad cracked down on protests against his government by a civil war that started more than four years back.