PM phone calls with Danish PM, Ban Ki Moon and Bishop Angaelos
The Prime Minister spoke to the Danish Prime Minister, UN Secretary General and Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
PM call with Danish PM Thorning-Schmidt
Following the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister called the Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, today to personally offer his condolences and to offer the UK’s support at this difficult time. Both agreed on the importance of the UK and Danish authorities continuing to work together to tackle the threat posed by Islamist extremism, including the close co-operation between our intelligence agencies. They also agreed that the shootings in Copenhagen reinforced the case for even closer international cooperation to tackle terrorism, for example cracking down on the trafficking of illegal firearms and exchanging passenger name records.
Find out more about ISIL: UK government response.
PM call with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon
Following the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister called the UN Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki Moon this afternoon to discuss the situation in Ukraine and how the United Nations could support the ceasefire. This follows on from the Prime Minister’s call to President Poroshenko yesterday and intense efforts by the UK Mission in New York over the weekend to ensure that any UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) supports both Minsk agreements. The Prime Minister and UN Secretary General agreed that negotiations were making progress, noting that the latest draft resolution importantly underlines the need to fully respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Prime Minister also raised his concerns about the situation in Libya, following the brutal murder of Christians there, and emphasised our support for the UN process which is seeking to break the deadlock on Libya. The UNSG agreed with him and set out the progress being made by his Special Representative in his talks with Libyan representatives.
The UN Secretary General applauded the UK’s leadership at the UN on Yemen, which led yesterday to the unanimous adoption of a UNSCR on the situation there. They agreed that it sends a clear message on the need for all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and the PM reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to working with Yemenis and international partners to help to find a political solution.
They also touched briefly on the post 2015 development goals. The Prime Minister reiterated the need to ensure that the goals were clear and concise, and that the UK stood ready to support the UNSG in his efforts to achieve this.
PM call with Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK
Following the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister spoke to Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church this afternoon to express his deepest sympathies for the appalling murders carried out by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – also known as Islamic State, Da’esh or ISIS) in Libya.
The PM reiterated that the UK would continue to do all it can to work as part of the coalition tackling ISIL internationally and to prevent their singling out of religious groups. The Bishop thanked the PM for his support and condemned the indiscriminate nature of ISIL’s brutality.