Syria minister says welcomes French suggestion of working with Syrian troops

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem on Friday said Damascus welcomed a French suggestion that Syrian government forces could be used in the fight against Islamic State. "If Fabius is serious about working with the Syrian army, and with forces on the ground fighting Daesh (IS), we welcome that. But this requires a fundamental change" in French policy on Syria, Moualem said at a news conference in Moscow, without elaborating. His remarks came after French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad could be used to fight Islamic State. A French official clarified, however, that this would only be in the framework of a political transition without Assad. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Catherine Evans)