President Francois Hollande of France initiated a “whirlwind of diplomatic talks with leaders of Russia and Britain, to establish an international coalition against terrorism and the group ISIS.
On Thursday, Hollande meets with the Russian President Vladimir Putin to further develop and strengthen the two countries initiatives to fight terrorism. The agenda of the talks focused on Syria and the battle against the Islamic State. The main output of the meeting is an agreement to improve information exchange and intelligence.
Meanwhile, the Russian leader stressed that, it is not for Russia or France to decide on the future of Syria’s President al-Assad because, this should be an internal decision that the Syrian people have to decide and carry out.
In the aftermath of the meeting in Moscow, the French President told reporters of the international impact of terrorism by saying that “terrorism can strike anywhere”, thus the need for a concerted action among countries.
Likewise, French President Hollande’s meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday in Paris, generated Britain’s support in France’s efforts against the terrorist group. Cameron is the newest global leader who ignites and calls for an increased effort in the war against ISIS.
Cameron’s show of support is made clear when he presented the case in the British Parliament to intensify airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. He said that Britain has to take the necessary steps while he puts forward the idea of an intensified military action to “counter “the very direct threat that (ISIS) poses to our country and our way of life.”
Britain’s Parliament will be voting next week, whether to expand its military efforts to combat terrorism, particularly the ISIS, as its response in the wake of the Paris attack. Britain’s involvement in the anti-ISIS campaign had been limited to strikes on the Iraqi side but has not been involved in attacking the ISIS stronghold in Syria.
France President Hollande’s busy week of diplomatic calls include a meeting with Italian Prime Miniter Matteo Renzi before the Moscow meeting, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Obama to build a strong global coalition.
