David Cameron, U.K. Prime Minister, said action against Islamic State was “legal” and... Read More
The vote is set to pass easily as Cameron, who made the recall announcement while in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly, has the backing of his Liberal Democrat coalition partners and opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, who opposed authorizing an attack against Syria last year.
In light of a request for military help from the Iraqi government, the U.K. has “a clear basis in international law for action, and we have a need to act in our own national interest to
protect our people and our society,” the prime minister said in his speech to the world body yesterday. “So it is right that Britain should now move to a new phase of action.”
When Parliament voted on carrying out strikes against the Syrian government in August 2013 over the use of chemical weapons, Miliband’s on-the-day decision to oppose action led to Cameron losing the vote. The execution of a British hostage by Islamic State, also known as ISIL, and the threat to execute another Briton have made the case for an air offensive easier to support.
Cameron acknowledged the reluctance of some lawmakers to back military action as a result of failures in the allied interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said they should learn the “right lessons” on the need for clear planning and proper preparation.
Past Mistakes
“We must not allow past mistakes to become an excuse for indifference or inaction,” he told the UN. “We are facing an evil against which the whole of the world should unite and as ever, in the cause of freedom, democracy and justice, Britain will play its part.”Any proposal to join U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria would require a separate parliamentary vote and debate, Cameron said. He is due to chair a cabinet meeting in London today at 1 p.m.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, confirmed his party will be backing the call for airstrikes.
“Sometimes the state needs to deploy force to keep us safe,” he said on his regular weekly call-in show on LBC Radio. “You cannot talk to these fanatics; they don’t want to. It would be extraordinary to wash our hands of this and allow other people to do the dirty work for us.”
Broad Coalition
Miliband said Islamic State “is a murderous organization, has taken British hostages, threatens the stability of the region and is therefore a threat to the U.K.’s national interest.”He said his party will support airstrikes, though “I want to reassure people there is no question of committing U.K. ground troops.”
The U.S. this week expanded its bombing of Islamic State militants to neighboring Syria, with the backing of the broadest Arab-U.S. military coalition since the 1991 Gulf War.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar all joined the first wave of U.S.-led airstrikes against the group in Syria. They’re seeking to rein in militants who have rampaged through Syria and threatened to ignite a civil war in Iraq, where U.S. bombing began six weeks earlier.
“This is a fight you cannot opt out of; these people want to kill us,” Cameron said in an interview with NBC News on Sept. 23. “They’ve got us in their sights and we have to put together this coalition,” he said, “to make sure that we ultimately destroy this evil organization.”
Iranian Role
Speaking at the UN, Cameron, who earlier met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, opened the door for Iran’s potential help in fighting Islamic State militants.Despite “severe disagreements” on numerous issues, including Iranian support for terrorist organizations, Cameron said “Iran’s leaders could help in defeating the threat from ISIL.”
“They could help secure a more stable and inclusive Iraq, and a more stable and inclusive Syria,” he said. “And if they are prepared to do this, then we should welcome their engagement.”
Shiite Iran wields influence with the Shiite political leaders in Iraq, as well as funding and arming Iraq’s Shiite militia forces, and is the major regional backer for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad’s regime has been sustained by direct Iranian help as well as by fighters from the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization, and the European Union has made a similar designation for its armed wing.
In their talks, Cameron and Rouhani agreed “to progressively improve our bilateral relationship,” to help create an environment in which issues such as Iran’s nuclear program could be successfully addressed, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
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