U.S. And Russia Agree On Air Safety Over Syria To Avoid Accidents; American Senator John McCain Brands Agreement As ‘Immoral’
Earlier this month, the US and Russian militaries agreed to hold discussions on pilot safety amid war in Syria. The Telegraph forecasted on Oct. 10 that the proposals were laid down during a private video conference between the US and Russian militaries.
Reports revealed that the US plans include preserving a safe distance between American and Russian aircraft as well as using the same radio frequencies which will be used to make distress calls.
"The Department of Defence has received a formal response from the Russian Ministry of Defence regarding DOD's proposal to ensure safe air operations over Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. "Department leaders are reviewing the Russian response and talks are likely to take place as soon as this weekend."
On Tuesday, the two parties officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to avoid clashes of flights over Syria as they both perform air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
According to reports, the move aims to "minimize the risk of inflight incidents," as noted by The Indian Express. Aside from that, the Pentagon announced that the MoU covers certain safety protocols that should be followed by the aircrew.
"These protocols include maintaining professional airmanship at all times, the use of specific communication frequencies and the establishment of a communication line on the ground," said Cook. "The US and Russia will form a working group to discuss any implementation issues."
The Pentagon spokesman clarified that the deal does not set up zones of cooperation, intelligence sharing or disclosing of target information in Syria. He adds that the US will pursue its mission to go after the Islamic State, which he says causes threat to the US and the international community.
"We will continue to support a moderate opposition that is essential for a political resolution in Syria. We will continue to be the single largest donor in addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria and beyond its borders. Unlike Russia, in those efforts we are joined by a coalition of 65 partners," he said.
Meanwhile, US senator John McCain on Wednesday said the deal between the US and Russia to avoid accidents of flights over Syria is "immoral," adding that the move will allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to bomb US-backed forces.
McCain considered the concordat a betrayal of moderate forces that the US has supported to fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as reported by USA Today on the same day.
"This is not only self-defeating and harmful to our national interests; it is immoral," McCain says in a statement. "These people put their trust in the United States, believing that we would make good on our promises to help them succeed. Now we are breaking those promises in our haste to give Vladimir Putin clearer skies from which to bomb our partners."
On the other hand, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said the deal between the US and Russia was needed to secure the safety of US pilots.
"What they are doing is hitting the forces that are closest in to the territory that is held by Bashar Assad," said James. "So they are shoring up Bashar Assad. That is what it seems like to me. That's a 'say/do' gap."
She went on, "They say they want to stem the flow of refugees and somehow assist with this refugee crisis. But what they are doing is striking indiscriminately and causing more terror and causing more of a refugee problem."
