Cameron offers France airbase in Cyprus in anti ISIL fight

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) British Prime MinisterDavid Cameronpledged strong support to France in its bid to gain international backing for efforts to crush the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group in the wake of theParisattacks and offered the use of its airbase on the Cyprus island.

Cameron said Nov. 23 he had offered France the use of a British airbase in Cyprus for air strikes and assistance with refuelingFrenchjets.

“Today I’ve offered President Hollande the use of RAF Akrotiri forFrenchaircraft engaged in counter-ISIL operations and additional assistance with air-to-air refuelling” Cameron said in a statement to reporters alongside Hollande on Nov. 23 referring to an airbase located in the south of Cyprus.

“I firmly support the action President Hollande has taken to strike ISIL in Syria” Cameron said after he and Hollande laid a wreath at the Bataclan concert venue where 89 people alone had been killed during the Nov. 13Parisattacks that claimed a total of 130 people.

He said that he would make his case to the British parliament in the coming days about joining air strikes on Syria. “It’s my firm conviction that Britain should do so too” he added.

While Britain has joined US-led coalition strikes on ISIL in Iraq it has so far held back from hitting targets in Syria where the jihadists also hold large swaths of territory.

Speaking before he also meets the USRussianandGermanleaders in the coming days Hollande said Britain and France had a “joint obligation” to strike at the jihadist group.

Meanwhile warplanes took off Nov. 23 from France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier newly deployed to the eastern Mediterranean for operations over areas held by ISIL in Iraq and Syria military sources told Agence France-Press.

Rafale jets loaded with bombs were catapulted from the carrier’s flight deck Nov. 23 morning an AFPreportersaw. Speaking to AFP the sources did not indicate the nature of the operations which come 10 days after the deadly attacks inParisthat left 130 dead.

Hollande who has said France is in a “war” against the jihadists is embarking on what could be a defining week of his three-year-old presidency.

On Nov. 24 he will fly to Washington for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama and a day later will meetGermanChancellorAngela Merkelin Paris.

The focus switches to Moscow on Nov. 26 where he will meetRussianPresident Vladimir Putin who has pledged to work more closely with the West against ISIL following theParisattacks and the downing of aRussianpassenger jet over Egypt last month.

Completing a series of meetings with each of France’s fellow UN Security Council members Hollande will see Chinese President Xi Jinping for a working dinner in theFrenchcapital on Nov.29.

The UN Security Council on Nov. 20 authorized countries to “take all necessary measures” to fight ISIL in a resolution that won unanimous backing in the wake of the bloodshed in Paris.

The measure drafted by France calls on all UN member states to “redouble and coordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks” committed by ISIL and other extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda.