Readout of the President’s Call with French President Francois Hollande

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Press Secretary

October 13, 2014

President Obama spoke by phone this afternoon with French President Francois Hollande to coordinate actions to contain the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and to discuss to the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  On the Ebola outbreak, the two leaders agreed that more must be done, and quickly, to establish treatment facilities in the affected African nations, and that all countries must play a role to stop the spread of this disease and to save the lives of those afflicted. They also discussed additional measures that may be taken to stem the spread of Ebola outside the region already affected, including passenger screening upon departure and arrival. On ISIL, the President thanked President Hollande for France’s significant contribution to the coalition’s efforts to strike ISIL targets in Iraq and to provide training to the Iraqi Security Forces. The two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to counter ISIL forces in the region and the need for coalition partners to take action to counter the threat from ISIL.