Russia's Lavrov tells U.S. counterpart: respect Syrian sovereignty

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told his U.S. counterpart John Kerry that Washington should respect Syrian sovereignty in its fight against Islamic State militants, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Lavrov stressed "the necessity to strictly comply with the United Nations statute, norms of international law and unconditional respect of Syrian sovereignty during the fulfillment of plans by the U.S.-led coalition, which includes the use of force," the ministry said. President Barack Obama authorized U.S. air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria earlier this month. (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Editing by Mark Potter)