Russia PM warns foreign offensive in Syria could spark `world war`

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that if Arab forces entered the Syrian war, they could spark a "new world war" and urged ceasefire talks instead.

"The Americans and our Arabic partners must think hard about this: do they want a permanent war?" he was quoted as telling the German Handelsblatt business daily. "Do they really think they would win such a war very quickly?"

He added: "All sides must be forced to the negotiating table instead of sparking a new world war."