The US is proposing a new military pact with Russia to combat Islamic State (IS) and al Qaeda in Syria, according to a leaked document.

The document, published by The Washington Post, calls for joint bombing operations, a command-and-control centre and other synchronised efforts.

US and Russian officials with expertise in intelligence, targeting and air operations would "work together to defeat" the extremist groups, the eight-page paper states.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is to discuss the proposals in Moscow later, declined to comment when asked about them.

Image: US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault

"I'm going to Moscow, meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin tonight," he told reporters in Paris.


"We'll have plenty of time to talk about it and I'll give you all a sense of where we are."

The UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hoped the meeting would help revive the peace process.

"Let's see what happens in Moscow in next few hours. Let's hope there is some type of general understanding or progress," he said in Geneva.

Image: Protest in support of Syrian President Bashar al Assad

Under the US proposals, the "Joint Implementation Group" would be based near Amman, Jordan.

As well as sharing intelligence and targeting information, it would "co-ordinate procedures to permit integrated operations".

Russia would confine air strikes to vetted targets and not let Syrian forces bomb "designated areas", with some exceptions.

As part of the deal Russia would put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al Assad to end the bombing campaign against moderate militants and allow aid to civilians in besieged, rebel-held areas.

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Washington also wants Russia's help in forcing Mr Assad to start a political transition that would ultimately end his family's four-decade hold over the country.

Russia has said it supports the idea of "transition" but has never spoken publicly of the need for Mr Assad to resign.

In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Mr Assad said Mr Putin had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition with him.

The talks in Moscow come less than three weeks before President Barack Obama's August deadline for diplomatic progress expires.

The UN-brokered peace talks have stalled and there is little hope of ending the war in Syria soon.

Since it started five years ago, up to half a million people have been killed and the conflict has been one of the major causes of the global migration crisis.