MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-CAMERON-DAVUTOGLU ERDOGAN Britain and Turkey vow closer cooperation on foreign fighters

Record ID: 217776

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-CAMERON-DAVUTOGLU ERDOGAN Britain and Turkey vow closer cooperation on foreign fighters
  • Date: 9th December 2014
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 9, 2014) (REUTERS) BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON AND TURKISH PRIME MINISTER AHMET DAVUTOGLU ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON, SAYING: "We are fighting a common enemy, a common enemy and extremist terrorism and the Prime Minister and I have been discussing today how we w
  • Embargoed: 24th December 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4UT7AO4GCNQ69ZXRTS2MSKTZ2
  • Story Text: Britain and Turkey will share more information on foreign fighters among the ranks of Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq to try to prevent them posing a threat when they return home, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday (December 9).
    After a meeting his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, Cameron said Britain and Turkey were fighting a "common enemy of extremist terrorism" and needed to achieve the highest possible levels of intelligence sharing.
    "We are fighting a common enemy, a common enemy and extremist terrorism and the Prime Minister and I have been discussing today how we work as closely as we possibly can whether it is about stopping people coming through Turkey to Syria or Iraq to fight for ISIL whether it's about making sure we deal with people when they return, whether it is the highest levels of intelligence co-operation that we can possibly achieve between our countries, this is all about making sure people are safer in Turkey and making sure people are safer back home in the UK," Cameron told a joint news conference ahead of a meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan.
    Britain said last month it was facing its greatest national security threat, in part because of the risk that Britons who return from fighting with IS could launch attacks on home soil.
    Many of the about 500 Britons who authorities believe have travelled to the region used Turkey as a transit point and around half that number are thought to have returned to Britain.
    Davutoglu defended Turkey against accusations it has been too lax in controlling its borders.
    "None of the leaders of ISIL has crossed from Turkey. We are ready for all sort of intelligence cooperation but we are also determined to raise our voice against unfair accusations," Davutoglu said.
    Cameron also said Britain shared Turkey's view of the need for President Bashar al-Assad to leave power in Syria.
    "We have a very common perspective, we want to see a different government in Syria, one that can represent all people in Syria," he said.
    Asked to comment on the CIA report, Cameron said torture is wrong and he stressed that the Intelligence and Security Committee on Gibson inquiry would "deal with with these issues."
    "That inquiry has now produced a series of questions that the intelligence from the security committee will look at but I am satisfied that our system is dealing with all these issues and I, as Prime Minister, have issued guidance to all of our agents and others working around the world about how they have to handle these issues in future. So I am confident this issue has been dealt with from the British perspective and I think I can reassure the public about that but over all we should be clear torture is wrong," he said.
    Later on Tuesday, Cameron met with Erdogan.
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