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384132
Mon, 10/19/2015 - 11:35
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Decision on Russian operation in Syria made with no haste - Kremlin chief of staff

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. The decision to launch the Russian operation in Syria was taken with no haste, with all pros and cons discussed on September 29, the day before the first air strikes on terrorists, Sergey Ivanov, the chief of Russia’s presidential staff, said in an interview with TASS. "There was no haste or anything spontaneous," Ivanov said. "The final discussion on the operation in Syria, with senior military officials taking part, was held at a meeting of Russia's Security Council late in the evening on September 29. We considered all the pros and cons, all strengths and weaknesses once again," he added. "The presidential request to the Federation Council followed only after that. I brought the text to the FC building in Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street early the next morning," Ivanov said. "All steps had been considered well beforehand and agreed with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. It is common knowledge that the combat aircraft and some special units of the Russian armed forces had been dispatched to Syria well in advance," he said. "That's standard international practice. And quite legitimate, by the way. But let's be realistic: everybody understands that the redeployment of several dozen planes cannot be kept secret. Everything can be seen well from space," Ivanov said. Ivanov also dismissed western media reports that it was a trio of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and him who talked President Vladimir Putin into beginning the air operation in Syria. "Making serious comments regarding such ‘leaks’ is always very hard. But if we are to stay neutral and discuss only the hard facts, I will say this: the mentioned ‘anonymous sources’ got it all wrong. How it all happened was very different," Ivanov said. The full text of the interview is available at http://tass.ru/en Read more

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