In article for the Guardian, French defence minister calls for RAF to ‘take fight to heart of Isis’, as MPs consider case for strikes

The French government has taken the highly unusual step of expressing the hope that the Royal Air Force “will soon be working side by side with their French counterparts” in taking military action in Syria.

In a sometimes emotional appeal, the French defence minister writes in the Guardian that UK military capabilities would “put additional and extreme pressure on the Isis terror network”.

Jean-Yves Le Drian says he wants the RAF “to take the fight to the very heart of Isis, defeating it and making our countries and peoples safer”.

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Saying France was struck at its very heart by Isis, his article amounts to a direct appeal to British MPs not to let the French people down in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris by refusing to join the international military alliance against Isis in Syria.



Le Drian writes: “Just like France, the United Kingdom is working to defeat Isis, training local forces, striking targets in Iraq and providing vital intelligence support. Over Syria, British aircraft are supporting the coalition with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

“Isis is not just present in Iraq. It operates across the border, in Syria, where its headquarters are located, in Raqqa. It is from Raqqa that some of the main threats against other countries are planned and orchestrated. That’s why it is now crucial to strike Isis in Syria in order to degrade and, ultimately, to destroy it.”

The minister argues that the British have unique military hardware that would add to the coalition’s strength in combat missions in the country. “The RAF has significant capabilities for precision airstrikes, aerial reconnaissance and air-to-air refuelling support,” he says. “On a daily basis, its Tornado aircrafts and unmanned drones are causing very severe damage to Isis in Iraq. The use of these capabilities over Syria would put additional and extreme pressure on the Isis terror network.”

It is understood that French diplomats have been in touch with Labour frontbenchers to supplement this argument in private.

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The appeal comes hours after David Cameron issued his formal case for war to parliament and Jeremy Corbyn gathered his shadow cabinet for what is likely to be two rounds of discussions ahead of a decision on whether to impose a whip either for or against war, or leave it to individual Labour MPs’ consciences. Corbyn afterwards set out his opposition to war in a letter to Labour MPs.



Labour MPs will be critical to Cameron’s decision on whether to table a motion calling for airstrikes as early as next week, since they will decide whether Cameron has the clear majority he says he needs to authorise strikes.

All Labour MPs will come under pressure from local activists this weekend with emails already being sent to MPs claiming a vote for war will play into the hands of Isis and endanger British citizens.

The shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, speaking after Thursday’s shadow cabinet meeting, indicated he was leaning to support for airstrikes, saying there were “compelling” arguments.

Benn said: “We are trying to make life difficult for Isil/Daesh in Syria and I think there’s a very strong case for us playing our full part in doing that, given that we are currently flying missions, providing intelligence and refuelling to others who are participating.”

He added: “I think our allies look to us – particularly the French, after the grievous blow they have suffered in Paris – and they want to feel we are with them in solidarity, and I think we should be.”

However, Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, told the BBC she had questions about airstrikes in Syria. “I’m not sure that it would make British people safer at all,” she said. “The worry is about ground troops. I do not believe there’s any support in the country for British troops getting involved in a ground war in Syria.”

Earlier, Corbyn, cross-examining Cameron in the Commons, struck a sceptical note. He pressed the prime minister on the nature of the forces that would take any ground liberated from Isis.

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Cameron was challenged over claims there were 70,000 Free Syrian Army troops that could represent a threat to Isis in northern Syria. Corbyn questioned whether “the relatively marginal and remote Free Syrian Army would be in a position to take back Isis-held territory if the air campaign were successful”.



Corbyn also questioned whether there was an effective peace process under the aegis of the United Nations.

But the French defence minister says that the diplomatic talks are making progress saying that “for the very first time since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, diplomatic efforts seem to be converging in Vienna. Western countries, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the Gulf states have agreed to combine their efforts against the threat posed by Isis.

“We have to jointly seize this opportunity to broaden the coalition that is needed to defeat Isis. The departure of Bashar al-Assad is essential in order to bring peace to Syria and justice to the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children he has tortured and killed in the worst humanitarian crisis for decades, but it is not a prerequisite for military action against Isil.”