This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/26/david-cameron-publishes-case-for-syria-airstrikes

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
David Cameron publishes case for Syria airstrikes David Cameron publishes case for Syria airstrikes
(35 minutes later)
David Cameron has told the Commons foreign Affairs Committee that Britain should extend its military campaign against Islamic State into Syria. David Cameron has urged MPs to back UK airstrikes against Isis in Syria, saying that the terrorist organisation is using the sanctuary of northern Syria to launch plots with deadly intent against the British people.
He said: “The threats to our interests and to our people are such that we cannot afford to stand aside and not to act.”He said: “The threats to our interests and to our people are such that we cannot afford to stand aside and not to act.”
“Throughout Britain’s history we have been called on time and again to make the hardest of decisions in defence of our citizens and our country. Related: Cameron says case for Syria airstrikes strengthened by Paris attacks – Politics live
“Today one of the greatest threats we face to our security is the threat from Isil.” “Throughout Britain’s history we have been called on time and again to make the hardest of decisions in defence of our citizens and our country. Today one of the greatest threats we face to our security is the threat from Isil.”
Cameron’s case was made in a 36-page memorandum to the committee, ahead of a statement to the House of Commons, expected at 10.30am on Thursday. Cameron said: “The longer Isil is allowed to grow in Syria, the greater the threat it will pose. It is wrong for the United Kingdom to subcontract its security to other countries, and to expect the aircrews of other nations to carry the burdens and the risks of striking Isil in Syria to stop terrorism here in Britain.”
More details soon . . . He says all seven terror plots in the UK this year were directed by Isis or inspired by the group’s propaganda.
He claims the terror group has an external operations group dedicated to causing mass casualty attacks around the world. He insists the strikes against Isis would be part of a comprehensive political and diplomatic plan to deny the group space and create the circumstances for an end to the civil war in Syria.
The aim, he says, must be to close down ungoverned space.
Cameron’s case was set out in a 36-page memorandum to the foreign affairs select committee, before a statement to the House of Commons, expected at 10.30am on Thursday.
Cameron’s reply also acknowledges that airstrikes have their limits and that ground troops will be necessary to defeat Isis. “Airstrikes can degrade Isil and arrest its advance, but they alone cannot defeat Isil. We need partners on the ground to do that and we need a political solution to the Syria conflict,” the prime minister says.
Significantly, Cameron’s foreword to the government document does not explicitly call for the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to stand aside. He instead calls for an inclusive government that responds to the needs of all Syrian people and with which the international community could cooperate fully.
He claims: “Isis poses a significant threat to the stability of the region, including to the security of Jordan, one of the UK’s key allies. Isil’s offshoots and affiliates are spreading instability and conflict in Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and Nigeria.
“In the Middle East, they are seeking to establish their vision of a caliphate across Iraq and Syria, forcing people in those areas to yield to their rule or face torture or death. They have beheaded aid workers, organised systematic rape, enslaved Yazidi women and thrown gay people off buildings. All these atrocities belong to the dark ages.”