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"Today we sent a clear, unambiguous message that there will be no respite for our collective efforts to stop, suppress and destroy ISIL."

Statement by Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the UK Mission to the UN at the Security Council Adoption of Resolution 2249 on ISIL

The United Kingdom warmly welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2249 today.

Today we sent a clear, unambiguous message that there will be no respite for our collective efforts to stop, suppress and destroy ISIL.

Whether in the streets of Paris or Beirut, or in the skies above the Sinai, ISIL’s brutality knows no bounds, and respects no borders.

ISIL’s determination to carry out attacks around the world must be met by our greater resolve to defeat them wherever we find them.

Too many Security Council members here today and too many other UN members states have experienced ISIL’s callous disregard for life. Our welcome unity today shows that we shall not be deterred in our efforts to prevent such attacks from happening again.

As my Security Council colleagues have said, this resolution is a powerful international recognition of the threat ISIL poses. It calls for lawful action, all necessary measures, to counter ISIL. Like others, the United Kingdom has already taken actions against ISIL, on the basis of individual and collective self-defence, as we have set out in this Council.

This Council has put in place extensive obligations for states to take action against ISIL, to stop the travel of Foreign Terrorist Fighters and to choke off their funding. The recent attacks, and this resolution, remind us that these measures must be implemented if the international response to ISIL is to succeed.

In conclusion, we stand in solidarity with the people of France, and we commend France for its leadership on this resolution. As the Security Council Presidency, we are proud that the Security Council has acted with speed, unity and clarity of purpose to agree this powerful call to action.

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office

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