French, Australian leaders vow to step up anti-terror co-operation amid threat from IS group
Posted Apr 27, 2015 6:22 am.
Last Updated Apr 27, 2015 6:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PARIS – French President Francois Hollande says France and Australia will reinforce their co-operation in the fight against the Islamic State group and other terrorist threats.
In a joint statement following Hollande’s meeting with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the leaders said IS “constitutes a great threat for the world’s safety and for our two countries.”
The leaders say they will step up dialogue and intelligence-sharing to combat violent extremists and those who become radicalized online.
At least 110 Australians have gone to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside extremists, while France estimates about 3,000 of its citizens have links to extremist fighters in Syria and Iraq.
The statement comes as France hosts an international conference of anti-terror judges beginning Monday — attended by France’s Justice Minister Christiane Taubira.
“Even though there are different methods, with different imperatives, we can clearly see there is a terror system linking them all, under the influence of ISIS or others,” Taubira said, using an alternate acronym for the militant group.
“We, too, want to get organized on the multi-lateral level in order to be able to pass on information very quickly,” she added.
