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Sweden denies French request for fighter jets in Syria

Xinhua, December 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sweden will not send fighter jets to aid the French mission against the Islamic State (IS) terror organization in Syria, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

France had called for the support of other European Union member states after gunmen last month attacked several targets in Paris, killing 130 people, but Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the request lacked sufficient grounds in international law.

"We are always scrupulous about international law and we have made the judgment that this represents a grey area," Wallstrom told the Swedish news agency TT.

Instead, Sweden offered France aircraft for military transport and said it would send military officers to the French-led United Nations mission in Mali.

The Swedish government is also considering supplying France with further military equipment but Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist declined to elaborate on any details at Wednesday's press conference, daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported.

The four center-right opposition parties that had urged the government to provide fighter jets for the French mission were critical of the decision.

"We believe this is insufficient. We wanted a level of military substance, for instance through fighter jets," said Hans Wallmark of the conservative Moderate Party. Endit