Dozens of nations pledge to fight Islamic State ‘by any means necessary’

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• GWEN IFILL:

  Following another beheading of a Westerner by the Islamic State group over the weekend, representatives from several countries met today to figure out how to stop the militant group, which has taken over large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

  More than two dozen European and Arab nations convened in Paris, pledging to fight Islamic State extremists by any means necessary.

• French President Francois Hollande:

• PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, France (through interpreter):

  The fight of the Iraqi people against terrorists is ours as well and we have to act together, and this is the whole purpose of this conference. We have to stand by the Iraqi authorities, clearly, loyally and strongly. And there's no time to lose.

• GWEN IFILL:

  The president of Iraq, Fouad Massoum, echoed that appeal and urged that Islamic State forces be targeted on many fronts.

• PRESIDENT FOUAD MASSOUM, Iraq (through interpreter):

  We are asking for airborne operations to be continued. We must not allow them to set up sanctuaries. We must pursue them wherever they are. We must cut off their financing. We must besiege them with laws that forbid people to work with them. We must bring them to justice. And we must stop the fighters in the neighboring countries joining them.

• GWEN IFILL:

  The conference followed President Obama's call last week for a broad coalition to fight the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria.

  Today's Washington Post reported several unnamed Arab states have offered to assist in U.S. airstrikes. And the French foreign minister announced his country has begun reconnaissance flights to set up its own airstrikes in Iraq.

  But few others have made concrete commitments, at least publicly. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said specifics will come in time.

• JOSH EARNEST, White House Press Secretary:

  We want to make sure that their commitment matches what's actually needed, and that we're not duplicating efforts, and that the country that is in the best position to fulfill a specific need is the one that actually follows through and fills that need.

• GWEN IFILL:

  While that process continues, the sense of urgency amplified over the weekend as British aid worker David Haines was beheaded in Syria. He's the third hostage to be killed there by a British-accented militant.

  Today, Attorney General Eric Holder announced new efforts to deter Americans from joining terror groups.

• ERIC HOLDER, Attorney General:

  These programs will bring together community representatives, public safety officials, religious leaders, and United States attorneys to improve local engagement, to counter violent extremism, and, ultimately, to build a broad network of community partnerships to keep our nation safe.

• GWEN IFILL:

  No such cooperative effort is coming from Iran, which wasn't invited to the Paris conference, at the insistence of the United States.

  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei claimed that, in fact, Tehran rejected overtures from Washington.

  AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, Supreme Leader of Iran (through interpreter): The Americans' hands are dirty. How can we cooperate with those whose hands and intentions are dirty? The U.S. secretary of state has personally asked for Iran's cooperation. After Iranian officials rejected their requests, they now say we don't want to invite Iran for the talks.

• GWEN IFILL:

  But Secretary of State John Kerry said while he won't rule out working with Iran diplomatically, he would reject any military coordination. He also rejected any cooperation with the Syrian government. That drew criticism from the Russians.

  Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued Syria and Iran are natural allies in the fight.

• SERGEI LAVROV, Foreign Minister, Russia (through interpreter):

  There cannot be double standards in the war against terrorism. Terrorists can't be good or bad. We must be consistent and not involve our personal political projects, not prioritize them over the general goal of fighting terrorism.