Foreign Secretary welcomes constructive regional summit on Boko Haram
19 May 2014 03:33 PM
Foreign Secretary welcomes concrete agreements
at Paris Summit on tackling Boko Haram and offers UK follow-up
meeting.
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Foreign Secretary William Hague attended the Paris Summit for Security in
Nigeria. The summit, convened by President Hollande in response to the
abduction of over 200 schoolgirls and the deteriorating security situation in
northern Nigeria, agreed a number of concrete measures strengthening regional
counter terrorism coordination, reinforcing efforts at international level to
implement sanctions against Boko Haram and mobilising support for women exposed
to sexual violence in conflict.
Attending the summit with Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon,
Benin, Niger, the US, France, and the European Union, the Foreign Secretary
William Hague said:
The
measures agreed today are an important step in bringing the region together in
the fight against Boko Haram, and the UK will play our full part in supporting
them. We agreed on the immediate priority of helping the abducted schoolgirls
and tackling the threat from Boko Haram, and measures such as a regional
intelligence fusion cell and coordinated border patrols; as well as on
longer-term action, such as work towards a regional counter-terrorism strategy.
We also agreed to enhance our support for the victims of sexual violence in
conflict, an issue on which I will host a Global Summit in London
in June bringing together the international community to help end the
culture of impunity for those who commit these crimes.
Today’s summit sent a powerful signal: the region
is united against Boko Haram and against terrorism in all its forms. The UK,
alongside France, the US, the EU and our other international partners, stands
firmly behind Nigeria and its neighbours and will help turn today’s
commitments into action. As part of that, the UK will host a follow-up meeting
next month to review progress against our collective goals.
Further information
Read the full summit declaration on the
Elysée website
Get
news and updates on the Global Summit to End
Sexual Violence in Conflict on twitter @end_svc and facebook
Follow the Foreign Secretary on twitter @WilliamJHague
Follow the Foreign Office on twitter @foreignoffice
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