Cameron says UK should join strikes in Syria to defeat IS

During a visit here, British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday said Britain should join the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, stressing the necessity to carry out air strikes to uproot the Islamist cell.

"I firmly support the action that President Hollande has taken to strike ISIL (Islamic State) in Syria and it is my firm conviction that Britain should do so too," he said.

"Later this week, I will set out in parliament our comprehensive strategy for tackling ISIL," he added during a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande.

It's up to parliament to take a decision on whether to send British warplanes to Syria, noted Cameron, who previously failed to convince parliament to vote in favor of air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2013.

Hollande said: "We have to act in Syria. France has taken this decision in September. It's up to the United Kingdom to see how it can also engage."

The president called for the creation of a global and strong coalition to fight Islamist insurgents in Iraq and Syria.

"We are convinced that we must continue to hit Daesh (Arab acronym of IS) in Syria. We will intensify our strikes, choose targets that will inflict the greatest possible damage on this terrorist army," he told reporters.

To this end, the French head of state said the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was gearing up to strengthen strikes.

Both leaders also vowed to reinforce cooperation between the two countries' intelligence services, better coordinate their efforts to ensure domestic security, and step up military cooperation to fight IS. Endit