CRI听力:Arab League Agree All Necessary Measures to Confront IS

Arab League member states have agreed to take all necessary measures to confront Islamic State militants and cooperate with international efforts to combat the group.

The League also endorsed a UN Security Council resolution passed last month that calls on states to suppress financing and other support to the IS.

The announcement comes after a foreign ministers' meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

Nabil Al-Araby, the group's Secretary General, says the council has agreed on the need to take a unified action to stamp out all extremism.

"The Arab League stands firm in its decision to take all the necessary measures to keep the Arab national security and to face all the extremist organisations, including the ISIL terrorist group, and to fight its criminal activities in the region. Also to take the urgent measures on the national level through Arab cooperation on the political, security, defence, satellite and media levels."

The announcement does not directly endorse either the Iraqi or U.S. campaign against IS.

The Arab League chief suggests that military action could take place under the umbrella of an Arab League joint defense pact.

However it is not clear whether the commitment will include direct military involvement in Iraq or Syria.