Russia calls for co-ordination against IS

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a regional "co-ordinating structure" against Islamic State (IS), the BBC reports.

Putin has reiterated his upport for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad although Western countries and the Syrian opposition have said he must go.

The crisis is expected to be high on the agenda as world leaders gather at the UN in New York, and Putin is expected to hold rare talks with US President Barack Obama to discuss the issue later on Monday.

Relations between Russia and the West have been strained over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula last year and support for separatist rebels.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to soften his stance against Assad in a speech at the UN general assembly later this week, where he is due to say that Assad could remain temporarily in power at the helm of a transitional government.

Cameron, Obama and French President Francois Hollande, had previously demanded that Assad be removed from power as a condition of any peace deal, a position consistently rejected by Mr Putin.

Speaking as he arrived in New York on Sunday, Cameron said: “[Bashar al-] Assad can't be part of Syria's future. He has butchered his own people. He has helped create this conflict and this migration crisis. He is one of the great recruiting sergeants for Isil [IS],” the BBC said.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a key regional ally of President Assad, has said the government in Damascus “can't be weakened” if IS militants were to be defeated.

European leaders are intensifying calls for a diplomatic push in Syria in the wake of a massive influx of refugees heading for Europe.

On Sunday, Iraq also announced that it had signed an agreement on security and intelligence co-operation with Russia, Iran and Syria to help combat IS.