Syria Will Help US Fight Terrorism, Says Walid Muallem

BBC: Syria's foreign minister has offered to help the US fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which has seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.

Walid Muallem said Syria was "the centre of the international coalition to fight Islamic State".

The US has already bombed IS fighters in Iraq and has hinted it would be willing to take action in Syria.

Western powers generally shun Syria's government, accusing it of carrying out atrocities in its three-year civil war.

But Mr Muallem warned that the US must co-ordinate with the Syrian government before launching any air strikes on its territory.

"Anything outside this is considered aggression," he said. (+ BBC video) » | Monday, August 25, 2014

'Terrorists from 83 Countries Fighting in Syria' – Foreign Minister to UN Assembly 2013 (Full Speech)

The Syrian government is fighting against "terrorist groups from 83 countries" as part of its "constitutional right" to protect the country's people, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the UN General Assembly in New York.