Brussels, 19/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says he is in favour of a big international coalition involving the European Union, the United States and the Russian Federation to fight the ISIL terror organisation.
Speaking at a dialogue with citizens organised as part of the Obs Brussels Days on Wednesday 18 November, Juncker said the United States, Russia and Europe have to work together when it comes to fighting the scourge of ISIL. He said all the problems that there may be among the different parties must be put to one side in order to focus on the problem of ISIL, which would drive Europe to the abyss if it was not brought under control. He said that ISIL is public enemy number one in Europe and beyond, and all resources that could be used to put an end to this mushrooming barbarism needed to be aligned.
During another debate at the Brussels Days, former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine said that while bombings could contain ISIL, they could not eradicate it. If it is to be eradicated, a political and military coalition is needed, and this has to be organised with an inter-army and inter-ally high command, he said. Former Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos said that military operations needed to be accompanied by diplomatic, economic, strategic, cultural and social action, and it was on this that work needed to be started. He said the world had participated in the creation of ISIL, a Frankenstein, and now does not know how to react to the “beast”.
Asked about Syria and Libya, Juncker said Europe had to talk in a more nuanced fashion about the countries involved and people should not think that there could be a solution with the president of Syria Bashar al Assad, but it would be a mistake to believe in a solution without Assad. He ended by saying that we were at a rather unvirtuous intersessional period that would now rule our actions with Russia and the United States. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)