ANKARA/LONDON — Britain moved closer to military action in Syria as a senior minister on Saturday said Europe's migration crisis had to be tackled at its source and a newspaper said a parliamentary vote on bombing the Daesh militants in Syria could take place next month. Finance minister George Osborne said Britain and Europe had to find a way to tackle the conflict in Syria as well as provide asylum to those genuinely fleeing persecution.
“You've got to deal with the problem at source, which is this evil Assad regime and the ISIL (Daesh) terrorists, and you need a comprehensive plan for a more stable, peaceful Syria,” Osborne told Reuters in an interview. “A huge challenge of course, but you can't just let that crisis fester. We've got to get engaged in that.”
The Sunday Times newspaper said British Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to hold a vote in parliament in early October to pave the way for air strikes against Daesh in Syria.
He was also seeking to launch a military and intelligence offensive against people traffickers, the newspaper said, quoting senior officials.
French newspaper Le Monde reported earlier on Saturday that France was considering conducting air strikes on Daesh in Syria, joining an international coalition led by the United States.
Cameron, under pressure to take more action in response to the migration crisis in Europe, said on Friday that the country would welcome “thousands more” Syrian refugees.
The Sunday Times said Cameron was prepared to accept 15,000 refugees from camps located close to Syria.
His government has come under pressure to do more to address the crisis following the publication of images of a Syrian toddler lying dead on a Turkish beach, which led to a public outpouring of emotion.
Osborne, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance chiefs in Turkey on Saturday, said the British government would provide more details of its plans next week.
“Yes, we must offer asylum to those who are genuinely fleeing persecution. Countries like Britain always have, we are one of the founders of the asylum system. We will take, as the prime minister said, thousands more,” he said. — Reuters
