Russia to apply Syrian law for Daesh/ISIS return

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow plans to apply Syrian legal procedures while addressing former Daesh/ISIS terror group fighters’ return to their countries of origins, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Thursday.

Maria Zakharova characterized the issue as "one of the most difficult" on the agenda for Syrian settlement, during a wide-ranging news conference in Moscow.

"It is necessary to qualify their detention and arrest, identify them, and then see what legal procedures should be applied in this case," she said.

Zakharova stressed the issue is of particular importance as Daesh militants, defeated in Syria, can move to Iraq and rebuild the organization there, as protests in the country create favorable conditions for their activities, which they already carry out in a number of Iraqi regions.

Turning to the crisis in Bolivia, Zakharova said Moscow agreed to call Jeanine Anez the country's "leader" until a new president is elected but it refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Evo Morales' "violent upheaval."

Morales was forced to resign under pressure from military leaders Sunday after weeks of protests. He was elected democratically for a fourth term last month.

In Afghanistan, she welcomed the release of three Taliban-connected leaders.

"In this context, we regard the release of the three leaders of the Taliban-linked Haqqani Network as a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Afghan government, which should contribute to the advancement of the intra-Afghan peace process," she said, adding that Russia supports any steps aimed at ceasing hostilities and launching a peace process.

She also addressed media reports that connected the death of former MI6 officer James Gustaf Edward Le Mesurier to Russia.

Zakharova called the reports a "Forrestal syndrome,” a reference to former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Forrestal, who suffered from mental illness.

His now infamous phrase: "The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming. They're right around. I've seen Russian soldiers", uttered while at a hospital during peace time, became synonymous with anti-Russian paranoia.