THE United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution asking nations to redouble efforts to “take the war on terrorism to Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and destroy its safe haven”.
What did they vote on?
The resolution number 2249 (2015) was drafted by France in the wake of the Paris atrocities.
It called on “member states that have the capacity to do so to take all necessary measures, in compliance with international law” to “eradicate” Islamic State’s “safe haven” in both Iraq and Syria.
Attacks such as the downing of a Russian airliner in Egypt, the killing of dozens of British tourists in Tunisia and massacres in Ankara and Beirut showed IS posed “a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security”, it said.
More concerted action was also required to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism,Should the UK increase military operations in Syria after Paris attacks? – click here to read moreWho signed up?
Everybody.
Western nations have been wary of seeking UN backing for fear that Russia which supports Syrian president Bashar Assad would exercise its veto as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
But Moscow, after confirming that the Sharm el-Sheikh tourist jet was blown up by jihadists, voted in favour of the resolution. Does this provide explicit legal backing for military action in Syria?
No. The resolution does not invoke Chapter VII of the United Nations charter which can be used to authorise military action to “maintain or restore international peace and security”. So where does that leave David Cameron’s calls for airstrikes on IS targets in Syria?
Much stronger. The UN vote is likely to help swing the opinions of some MPs who had been wavering on the issue.
He has long insisted that the legal case is solid without a Chapter VII resolution on the grounds of national self-defence against the threat posed by IS to Britain and other countries.
But the unanimous support for the security council will undoubtedly figure strongly when the PM presents his case to Parliament expected to happen next week. Has it been enough to persuade Jeremy Corbyn to drop his opposition to air strikes?
No. The staunchly anti-war Labour leader said the resolution was welcome but should be used to add impetus to diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian civil war not to justify “external interventions”. “It is vital not to be drawn into responses which feed a cycle of violence and hatred,” he said.World on the brink of war against Islamic State – click here to read more
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