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                West Pushes Ahead With Anti-IS Coalition Efforts

   by William Gallo

   Western allies pushed ahead Thursday with efforts to expand an
   international coalition to fight Islamic State in the aftermath of
   deadly terror attacks in Paris.

   In a speech to Parliament, British Prime Minister David Cameron made an
   urgent appeal for his country to join coalition airstrikes against
   Islamic State in Syria, asking "if not now, when?"

   "We have to deny a safe haven for ISIL in Syria," Cameron said, using
   an acronym for the group. "The longer ISIL is allowed to grow in Syria,
   the greater the threat it will pose."

   "It is wrong for the United Kingdom to subcontract its security to
   other countries," he added.

   Cameron said U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois
   Hollande have urged London to join the campaign. "These are our closest
   allies, and they want help," he said.

   Britain has participated in coalition airstrikes against Islamic State
   in Iraq, but not in Syria. Cameron had said he would bring the issue to
   a vote, but only when he is assured the measure can pass.

   Hollande in Moscow
   Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande traveled Thursday to
   Moscow, where he tried to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to
   sign on to the French-led airstrike campaign.

   Any cooperation is likely to be complicated by Russia's own military
   operation in Syria, which is aimed at ensuring the survival of Moscow's
   longtime ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

   Russia has repeatedly tried to portray its military campaign as
   targeting the Islamic State group, even though many of its strikes have
   instead targeted Western-backed rebels.

   The already complicated situation was thrown into further disarray
   Tuesday, when Turkey downed a Russian jet near the Syrian-Turkey
   border, killing one pilot.

   The Islamic State group, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria,
   claimed responsibility for the November 13 coordinated gun and bomb
   attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people.

   Since the gruesome attacks, Western lawmakers have expressed a greater
   verbal commitment to take out Islamic State, yet there are fears
   efforts could lead to a prolonged war.

   On Wednesday, France's parliament voted to extend airstrikes in Syria
   beyond early January. Parliament's upper house voted 325 to zero with
   21 abstentions. Earlier, the lower house had voted 515 to four in
   favor.
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   on-efforts/3074705.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/west-pushes-ahead-for-anti-is-coalition-efforts/3074705.html