'France is at war': Hollande urges US-Russian coalition, changes to constitution
French president seeks to extend state of emergency for three months, plans to step up strikes in Syria, says he will meet Obama and Putin to discuss anti-IS alliance.
Addressing both houses of parliament on Monday, French President Francois Hollande announced a number of measures he hopes to pass in order to aggressively tackle the Islamic State terror group in the wake of Friday's coordinated attacks in Paris that left at least 129 dead and 350 wounded. The president also argued that France should unite with the US and Russia in a grand coalition dedicated to smashing IS.
The solemn speech at Versailles, which began with the words "France is at war", marked the first time in more than six years that a French president addressed both houses of parliament.
Hollande said the United States and Russia needed to set aside their policy divisions over Syria and "fight this terrorist army in a single coalition." He said he hoped to meet soon with US President Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, though he didn't specify whether they would all meet together.
The president also announced an increase in police recruitment, a halt to layoffs in the army, and a constitutional amendment to strengthen the fight against terrorism.
Hollande said he wanted French law to allow dual nationals to be stripped of their French citizenship if they were convicted of terrorism and dual nationals to be banned from entering France if they presented a "terrorism risk".
The French leader said he would present a bill Wednesday seeking to extend the prevailing state of emergency – granting the police and military greater powers of search and arrest, and local governments the right to suspend demonstrations and impose curfews – for another three months.
Hollande also said that France will step up strikes in Syria, where Friday's shootings and suicide bombings in Paris had originated. The attacks were ordered from Syria, planned in Belgium and carried out with the help of French people, he said.
He also pledged to increase budgets for security forces and the army.
"That will lead to higher spending, which I take responsibility for," Hollande said.
"I consider that in these circumstances, the security pact prevails over the stability pact," he said, referring to the eurozone budget limits.
France was at war against cowards, said Hollande, and not in a clash of civilizations. "Our democracy has triumphed before over adversaries that were much more formidable than these cowards," declared the president.
