French President Francois Hollande called on the United States and Russia to join forces to destroy Islamic State in the wake of Friday’s attacks across Paris, and announced a wave of measures to combat terror in France.
In a somber speech to both houses of parliament after the coordinated suicide bombings and shootings that killed 129, Hollande said he would increase funds for national security, strengthen anti-terror laws and boost border controls.
“France is at war. But we’re not engaged in a war of civilizations, because these assassins do not represent any. We are in a war against jihadist terrorism which is threatening the whole world,” he told a packed chamber at the gilded Versailles Palace near Paris on Monday.
Parliamentarians gave Hollande a standing ovation before singing the national anthem in a signal of political unity following the worst atrocity in France since World War Two.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in retaliation for French airstrikes in Iraq and Syria over the past year.
Hollande said French forces would intensify its assaults and said he would meet U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days to urge them to pool their resources.
“…We must combine our forces to achieve a result that is already too late in coming,” Hollande said.
A U.S.-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State for more than a year. Russia joined the conflict in September, but U.S. officials say it has mainly hit foreign-backed fighters battling its ally President Bashar al-Assad, not Islamic State.
Speaking in Turkey at the same time as Hollande, Obama called Friday’s attacks a “terrible and sickening setback”, but insisted the U.S.-led coalition was making progress.
“Even as we grieve with our French friends… we can’t lose sight that there has been progress being made,” Obama said at a Group of 20 summit.
Much of France came to a standstill at midday for a minute’s silence to remember the dead. Metro trains stopped, pedestrians paused on pavements and office workers stood at their desks.
Read more at Reutershttp://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/16/us-france-shooting-idUSKCN0T22IU20151116#f5UwMTtquOjRAxH2.99
“We are in a war against jihadist terrorism which is threatening the whole world,”
Change one word in that statement, and it’s 100% true. Simply substitute jewish for jihadist.
“A U.S.-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State for more than a year.”
They’ve been bombing someone… but it wasn’t ISIS.
“… we can’t lose sight that there has been progress being made,” Obama said at a Group of 20 summit.”
NWO progress.
Don’t forget about that 1991 interview/video, ISIS=Israeli Secret Intelligence Service.
Such bull!!
Such language! LOL… 🙄
If they were really at war with ISIS tel-aviv would be gone yesterday.
-flek