UN Approves Resolution on Foreign Fighters
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Members of the UN Security Council unanimously approved a binding resolution on checking the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria.
The US-drafted resolution adopted on Wednesday requires all countries to adopt laws that would make it a serious crime for their nationals to join self-declared jihadist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusra Front.
The resolution is under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which makes it legally binding for the 193 UN member states and gives the Security Council authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions or force.
It generally targets fighters travelling to conflicts anywhere in the world. It does not mandate military force to tackle the foreign fighter issue, Al Jazeera reported.
US President Barack Obama described the resolution as "historic" at the special session of the Council, only the sixth time in UN history that the body was convening at the level of heads of state.
Obama opened the session by voicing solidarity with France after one of its citizens was kidnapped and beheaded by fighters in Algeria linked to ISIL.
"We stand with you and the French people as you grieve this terrible loss and as you stand up against terror in defense of liberty," Obama said, turning his gaze towards French President Francois Hollande.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told the UN General Assembly that London should join the US-led air strikes against ISIL in Iraq, adding that his country's parliament has been recalled to secure approval.
Meanwhile, France sharply criticized the EU, saying its passivity in Syria's three-year-old civil war had helped encourage chaos and allowed the conflict to radicalize.
