DAMASCUS (Sputnik) – Speaking in the Syrian capital on Wednesday, Mariani stressed that "it is time to see results" in the fight against ISIL radicals, adding that Russian airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria have made it clear that the western coalition has not been successful.
A delegation of five French National Assembly members, led by Mariani, is visiting Syria on November 11-14.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The country’s government is currently fighting against a number of opposition factions and radical Islamist militant organizations, including the Islamic State.
An international US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against ISIL positions in Syria since September 2014. The United States has been supporting the so-called "moderate" Syrian opposition.
Russia began airstrikes against ISIL and other terrorist groups in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad on September 30, amid little progress in the fight against the radicals.
Apart from the military campaign, Moscow has been actively promoting a political settlement of the Syrian civil war.
Mariani told journalists in Damascus on Wednesday that Russia’s role in the fight against ISIL is reassuring and warned against dismissing any allies in the fight against terrorism.
In a Wednesday interview to Sputnik, Mariani said that the French delegation to Syria supports Russia’s approach to the settlement of the Syrian crisis. According to Mariani, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be strengthened through the eradication of ISIL and other terrorist groups and a subsequent launch of a political process in the country.
