British Prime Minister David Cameron today said that Libya needed to have a unity government in place because the absence of a governing body could lead to a further rise of terrorist groups.
Addressing a press conference in Malta this afternoon, Mr Cameron said the North African country needed a unity government that the international community could work with. “We have seen from experience how terror groups like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al Shabab and others take advantage of ungoverned spaces. We need a partner in Libya to help stop the spread of terrorist groups.”
Mr Cameron also spoke on the upcoming parliamentary vote that is expected to see the UK join other Western nations in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. The UK is already taking part in a military campaign against the terror group in Iraq.
“The message is very clear. We need to take carefully thought-through and effective action to tackle ISIS. ISIS is the threat our nation and other countries are facing - that is why we are contemplating this action. A lot of people found our arguments compelling. People need to know that when it comes to our military strategy it is ISIS that is being targeted and nobody else. When it comes to military contribution this is about helping our allies from the air and not about British ground troops. It’s also about having a whole strategy. We do not believe we can solve this problem through some extra military action alone. We need to bring the full force of our political and diplomatic strategy, and of course the vital reconstruction work that we would do after the war in Syria is over. I hope that when the choice comes people will indicate that this is the right choice for Britain to do.”
Asked if the disarray in the Labour party would delay the Syria vote, Mr Cameron said he was not responsible for what happened within the opposition party. “They should listen to the arguments being made before thinking about how to vote on this issue because there is a compelling case that taking military action can help tackle the ISIS problem. It worked in Iraq and can also work in Syria. This strategy can help degrade and eventually destroy ISIS, which is a threat not just to us but to all countries across the world.”
Asked about a post-war Syria, Mr Cameron said the right approach, one that included all the necessary elements, should be taken. “Military action can help and Britain should be part of that action because of the resources we can bring and because we should not outsource the protection of our people to others.
What is also badly needed is the transition to a government that represents the entire country. IN the absence of this there will still be President Assad, who will remain a sort of recruiting sergeant for ISIS because of the dreadful acts he has carried out on his own people. However we cannot wait for this to happen and must start acting now to keep our country and others safe.”
On the Commonwealth Mr Cameron said that despite being a consensus organization it could still send out strong messages to its member countries. The Commonwealth must stand up for human rights, including LGBT rights, he said.
The UK Prime Minister also thanked the Maltese people and government for the hospitality shown and for ‘the brilliant organization of a very successful CHOGM summit, which was extremely well-chaired by Maltese PM Joseph Muscat.”