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Corbyn Hints At Rejection Of Syria Airstrikes

Jeremy Corbyn appears to be ruling out military intervention in Syria, following last night's UN resolution which urged the world to take all necessary action.

In a keynote speech the Labour leader urged a negotiated settlement, a different kind of foreign policy and action that must not be seen as "external intervention".

The French-drafted resolution urging the world to take all necessary measures is being be used by the Prime Minister to help bolster his case for UK airstrikes in Syria.

But any such involvement will require the backing of Parliament - where there is continued opposition from some Conservatives and the Labour leadership.

Mr Corbyn told activists in Bristol: "Labour will consider the proposals the government brings forward - including its responses to the Foreign Affairs select committee report opposing British air strikes in Syria.

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"But in our view, the dreadful Paris attacks make the case for a far more urgent international effort to reach a negotiated settlement of the Syrian civil war - and end the threat from ISIS."

He went on: "Action against ISIS that sticks on the ground, that destroys the virus and reclaims hearts and minds, as well as territory, will have to come from within the Arab and Muslim world itself.

"It can't be seen as an external intervention, although the international community has a part to play."

Many within his own party disagree with Mike Gapes MP saying it would be "deplorable" if Labour failed to back military action in Syria in the wake of the vote.

Former shadow minister Jamie Reed warned that any attempt to whip a vote on airstrikes would mean "a significant number" of MPs would rebel and appear "a calculated attempt to engineer a damaging and avoidable conflict within the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party).

"Matters such as this - as your own voting record shows - will always be subject to individual conscience irrespective of the party whip," said Mr Reed.

Some Conservatives remain unconvinced that simply bombing IS targets in Syria will be enough.

Dr Julian Lewis MP, chair of the Defence Select Committee, told Sky News that the resolution was a "gesture, but nothing more than that, because aerial bombardment seldom if ever achieves it aims, unless it is in support of ground forces that you wish to win the campaign."

The Prime Minister is due to address concerns published in a Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on intervention in an open letter by the end of the month.

David Cameron, who will also travel to Paris on Monday for talks with President Hollande at the Elysee Palace, said the resolution was an "important moment" and that the vote "shows beyond doubt the breadth of international support for doing more in Syria and for decisive action to eradicate" IS, which he described as "this evil death cult".