French President Francois Hollande urged UK lawmakers to back an expansion of bombing raids against Islamic State to Syria, wading into British party politics as he seeks to widen the anti-terror coalition after the Paris attacks.
Hollande’s unusual intervention was aimed at his Labour colleagues in the House of Commons and exposed a public disagreement with party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who opposes the expansion of strikes sought by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Bloomberg reported.
“I do hope that the House of Commons will be able to meet the request of Prime Minister Cameron,” Hollande said Friday after attending a summit of leaders of Commonwealth nations, including Cameron, in Malta.
He thanked countries that have provided support, singling out German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her “unprecedented decision” to offer military help.
As Hollande seeks a broad military response to the Nov. 13 attacks in the French capital that killed 130 people, Cameron said Britain should not stand by while other countries confront terrorism, and bombing is one of the requirements for destroying the “death cult” of Islamic State, he said.
