Russia and France pushing UN resolution on fighting IS

Russia submitted a revised draft UN resolution on fighting the terrorist organization IS, that France said could be partially included in its own Security Council measure following the attacks in Paris.

Agreement from the Security Council for a single draft resolution that lays out the international approach to defeating IS would mark a significant step after months of disagreements between Russia and the West.

The Russian draft text was first presented to the Security Council in late September but was rejected by the United States, Britain and France over a provision that calls for battling the IS extremists with the consent of Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian regime – a Moscow ally.

The provision is still included in the revised draft Russia submitted on Wednesday, but Russian representatives downplayed disagreements.

French president Francois Hollande is due to meet Russian president, Vladimir Putin next week, two days after meeting with US president Barack Obama in Washington.

The aim of these talks is to establish a unified, global approach to defeating IS.