Europe Tries to Bridge Gap as U.S., Russia Maneuver on Syria

  • French propose no-fly zone as civil war toll keeps rising
  • U.S., Russia seem no closer to agreement on role for Assad

Flags fly outside the the United Nations headquarters in New York on Aug. 5, 2015.

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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With Russia and the U.S. sparring over how to fight Islamic State and end Syria’s bloody civil war, European nations besieged by refugees are trying to bridge the gap.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters Tuesday his nation was proposing a no-fly zone -- an action the U.S. opposes -- that would offer protection to Syrians so they wouldn’t have to flee to Europe. Meanwhile, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, struck a note of optimism, seeing “political space for new initiatives” in the coming weeks.