French President François Hollande urged Germany to do more to combat the Islamic State (IS) group as he welcomed Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks in Paris on Wednesday. Hollande urged Germany to commit more to the struggle against the IS group in Syria and Iraq, where French warplanes are pounding targets of the militant group, though he also expressed understanding for Berlin's reluctance to become involved in military operations overseas. "I hope Germany can do even more in the fight against Daesh in Syria and Iraq," Hollande said, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group, which claimed responsibility for the carnage in the French capital in a series of attacks on November 13. "We are stronger than any terrorism. Nevertheless, terrorism must be fought with all possible force. And here we want to stand by France's side," Merkel said ahead of a working dinner with Hollande. "When the French president asks me to think about what more we can do, then it's our task to think about that and we will act quickly," she said, adding that the IS group "can't be convinced with words, it must be fought with military means". Earlier, Merkel and Hollande, together with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, visited Paris's Place de la République, a major square which has become the city's focal point for tributes to the victims and laid a single white rose at the foot of the column standing in the centre of the square. Hollande has been on a diplomatic push to drum up international support for the fight against the IS group in Syria. The French president was in Washington on Tuesday for talks with Obama. He is to meet with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi Thursday morning before flying to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
