High Peak Liberal Democrats

Tim Farron responds to UN resolution

Tim Farron has commented on the passing of the UN Resolution 2249, which had the UN Security Council recognise that

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da'esh), constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security,

Tim said:

"I warmly welcome United Nations Security Council Resolution 2249. The fact that Russia did not use its veto is an important first step towards creating the broad coalition that the Liberal Democrats have been calling for as the only effective context for considering proposals for military action.

"The UK should now use all its diplomatic skills to support the efforts being made in Vienna to assemble an anti-ISIL coalition including Russia, Turkey, Iran and other key states in the region.

"At the same time, the Prime Minister must address the questions raised in the Foreign Affairs Committee Report when he presents to parliament the long-term strategy for any military action in Syria. That must include the planning for post-ISIL Syria, which has so far been absent amid the calls for UK planes to be engaged in strikes."

It looks as if we are edging closer, albeit slowly, as a party to supporting military action in Syria, although Tim has made it very clear that there needs to be a plan for the peace as well as clear objectives for the airstrikes themselves.

To me, this is not like Iraq. That war felt wrong right from the start. The situation with Daesh is more complex. My worry is about the civilians who will inevitably be caught up in it all and the longer term strategy. I'm not sure I'm anything like confident that it's all been thought through. I guess the party's role should be to look very critically at anything and everything the government says and judge accordingly. There is for me an immediate humanitarian need to help those people who are being very definitely oppressed by Daesh, but we need to do so in a way that doesn't make things worse.

What do you think?

• Display: Accessible
• Switch to: Desktop (requires cookies)

• My Account.
• Privacy Policy.
• Other Party Sites.