France will ‘accelerate’ air strikes in Iraq and Syria

French President Francois Hollande waits for guests at the Elysee palace in Paris, January 20, 2016

PARIS, Jan 21, 2016 — French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that a coalition waging a bombing campaign against Daesh (the so-called IS) would “accelerate” air strikes.“The pace of the interventions will be accelerated and France will play its role in this,” Hollande said in a speech to ambassadors.His comments followed a meeting by the defense ministers of seven countries in the coalition on Wednesday, who said their strategy was to free the Daesh “power centres” of Raqa and Mosul in Iraq and Syria.“They also decided to reinforce support to Arab and Kurdish forces fighting Daesh on the ground,” Hollande said, using an alternative name for IS.He told ambassadors that 2016 must be a “year of transition” in Syria, which is entering its fifth year of war.UN-brokered Syrian peace talks are tentatively set for next Monday in Geneva, despite disagreements over who will represent the opposition.“The moderate opposition has agreed to attend. The key question of who will govern Syria should not be avoided,” Hollande said.The president also announced a visit to Egypt, Jordan and Oman, without giving a date, saying: “We must do everything to work together for stability in the region. ”Russia and Iran are accused of propping up their ally, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

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