Hollande meets Iraqi leaders on Islamic State plans

Reuters : French President Francois Hollande held closed door talks with Iraqi leaders on Friday on humanitarian aid and military support for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State insurgents, ahead of a Paris meeting on Monday of opponents of the militant group. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, after meeting Hollande, said the French president “has promised me today France will participate in this effort striking the positions of terrorists in Iraq.” Abadi added: “The American side has begun doing that. We need this air cover. We do not need partners on the ground and they don’t intend to send forces.” Hollande did not address how France would contribute to the air strikes targeting Islamic State positions in Iraq, now being conducted by the US airforce and Iraqi military. Instead, he said that Monday’s conference in Paris was intended to coordinate military aid to Baghdad from Iraq’s allies. “We are going to work with our allies. We know the seriousness of the threat,” Hollande told reporters. France has already said it would take part in military action against Islamic State fighters in Iraq as part of a coalition being formed by Washington. As part of efforts to broaden support, Hollande hosts talks in Paris on Monday where regional and international powers will seek to coordinate support for Iraq in a battle against Islamic State militants who seized northern parts of the country. Hollande said France was the first European country to provide military aid to Iraq and was in process of delivering its fourth shipment. He did not specify details. Asked if Iran might attend Monday’s conference, the French president said both the French and Iraqi foreign ministries were still working to finalize the list of participating countries. “The goal is to coordinate aid, support and action for the unity of Iraq and against this terrorist group,” Hollande told journalists at the start of his one-day visit to Iraq. Hollande was due to visit Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, later on Friday to deliver humanitarian aid, primarily tents and sanitary equipment. After U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled plans this week for an expanded campaign against Islamic State militants, France wants to show that support for Iraq is not limited to military action, one of Hollande’s aides said. At the Paris conference, the French government aims to tackle the Islamic State’s financing and recruiting as well as improving border controls and training of the Iraqi army.