World leaders vow to use 'whatever means

necessary' to defeat Isis threat

Crisis meeting in Paris comes as France begins reconnaissance flights over Iraq and UK
edges closer to military action
Iraq's President Fouad Massoum talks with audi !rabian foreign minister Prince aud al"Faisal and Iraqi foreign minister
Ibrahim al"#aafari at the International Conference on Peace and ecurity in Iraq in Paris$ Photogra%h& Pool'(euters
Kim Willsher in Paris) Rowena Mason) Ian Black and Martin Chulov
Monday *+ e%tember ,-*.
/eaders and di%lomats from more than 0- countries have %ledged to use 1whatever
means necessary1 including military action to defeat the global threat of Islamic tate
2Isis3) after a crisis meeting in Paris$
4he emergency talks were held on Monday as France began reconnaissance flights
over Iraq after announcing it was ready to 5oin !merican air strikes and the %ros%ect of
6ritain 5oining military action moved closer$
%eaking after the conference) #ohn Kerry) the U secretary of state) ruled out military
coordination with Iran in any U"led cam%aign against Isis 7 a statement that chimed
discordantly with an announcement made earlier on Monday by the Iranian su%reme
leader) !yatollah !li Khamenei) claiming that 4ehran had %rivately refused U requests
for coo%eration$
#en Psaki) Kerry's s%okes%erson) said in a statement that while the U 1are not and
will not1 coordinate militarily with Iran) it has not ruled out the %ossibility of future talks
with the Iranian leadershi%$ 14here may be another o%%ortunity on the margins in the
future to discuss Iraq)1 Psaki said$
!fter the talks) the French foreign minister) /aurent Fabius) said Isis was neither 1a
state or re%resentative of Islam1 ) neither were what he called its 1throat"cutters1$
1It's a movement so dangerous that all those here today consider it necessary not 5ust
to make it retreat) but to make it disa%%ear)1 Fabius said$ 18hen you have a grou% of
this kind there is no other a%%roach than to defend oneself$ 4hat is what the
international community has decided to do$
1It was a solemn meeting) but when 0- countries among the most %owerful in the
world with very different geogra%hical) %olitical and ideological situations all say we
have decided to fight 9Isis: and not 5ust %ush it back but defeat it ; that is a moment
that gives great ho%e$1
<r Ibrahim al"#aafari) the Iraqi foreign affairs minister) thanked those taking %art in the
conference for their su%%ort) which he said would 1alleviate the sufferings of all Iraqi
%eo%le1$
14his conference conveys a clear message) that they 9the %artici%ants: are all standing
by our side ; that no country will be abandoned) that if it is attacked by terrorists the
whole international community will stand united)1 #aafari said$
=arlier the French %resident) Fran>ois ?ollande) had urged western and !rab
countries to engage 1clearly) loyally and strongly at the side of the Iraqi authorities1$
4here was 1no time to lose1 in dealing with the threat from Isis$ 1Iraq's combat against
terrorism is also ours)1 he said$
! second emergency conference is to be held in 6ahrain to e@amine ways to cut off
the funding and the flu@ of fighters to Isis) though no date was given$ 4he grou% is
believed to have recruits from +* countries$
Monday's gathering came 5ust a day after Isis released a video showing a hooded
5ihadi killing the 6ritish aid worker <avid ?aines) ..) the third western hostage to be
deca%itated by the grou% in a month$
(ussia's foreign minister) ergei /avrov) and his U and UK counter%arts) #ohn Kerry
and Phili% ?ammond) were at the meeting$
An unday) the 6ritish %rime minister) <avid Cameron) led international condemnation
of the ritualised killing of ?aines and threats against a second UK citiBen) !lan
?enning$
!s western di%lomats re%orted that several !rab states had offered to 5oin a U"led
coalition in carrying out air strikes on the fundamentalist insurgents) Cameron said the
UK was 1ready to take whatever ste%s are necessary1 to deal with the threat of Isis$
6efore the conference began Fabius announced that French aircraft were to begin
reconnaissance flights over Iraq) but added there was 1no question of sending ground
troo%s1$
4he Iraqi %resident) Fouad Masoum) who has a%%ealed for ra%id air intervention) told
those gathered in Paris that <aesh) the !rabic acronym for Isis) was o%en in its aims
and called for concerted action to defeat what he described as terrorists and criminals)
who re%resented a 1new form of terrorism1$
1<aesh leaders are working at setting u% a state and do not deny the e@istence of
terrorist volunteers from =uro%ean countries who may or may not have dual nationality
; it goes beyond what we e@%erienced before with al"Caida)1 he said$
14hese criminals are e@%erts at the brainwashing of young %eo%le in these regions$
4hey control and %re%are them for terrorist actions$ 4hey use modern technology to
s%read %ro%aganda and terror through the internet and social media networks$
1Iraq is here today to show its will to stand u% against this terrorist enemy that makes
no distinction between Iraqis$ 8e must send a strong message to the or%hans) to the
mothers who have lost their children) that we stand beside our %eo%le$1
More than .- countries have signed u% to a U"led %lan) but not all are willing to offer
Iraq direct military su%%ort$ !rab %artici%ation in military action would give a wider
sense of legitimacy to the cam%aign$
Do !rab state has %ublicly %romised to %artici%ate in military action but it is believed
several have in %rivate) including audi !rabia and the United !rab =mirates) the latter
of which recently bombed Islamist militia targets in /ibya from bases in =gy%t$
! senior western source told the Euardian that audi !rabia felt so threatened by Isis
that it was %re%ared to act in a frontline role$ 14here is a very real %ossibility that we
could have the audi air force bombing targets inside yria$ 4hat is a remarkable
develo%ment) and something the U would be very %leased to see$1
!nother senior official said audi !rabia was far more willing to %lay an o%en role in
the offensive against Isis than it did during the *FF* Eulf war and the ,--0 invasion of
Iraq$ An those cam%aigns) (iyadh allowed its military bases to be used by U forces)
but did not commit its service %ersonnel$ 4his time) (iyadh sees Isis as a direct threat$
14hey actually see themselves as the real target)1 the official said$ 14hey know that
they have to ste% u%) and they are ready to) from what we can see$1
!ustralia has %romised to send G-- troo%s and eight fighter 5ets to hel% the U fight
what the %rime minister) 4ony !bbott) called the Isis 1death cult1$
4he UK and the U have ruled out sending ground troo%s to areas of Iraq and yria
controlled by Isis 5ihadis) but Cameron hinted that the UK would be %re%ared to 5oin
the U in conducting a bombing cam%aign against Isis as %art of a wider alliance$
Cameron heightened his rhetoric against the 1monsters1 in Isis after a video emerged
on aturday night %ur%orting to show a masked fighter beheading ?aines before
threatening to kill ?enning) a .H"year"old former ta@i driver and volunteer on an aid
convoy$
4he 5ihadi) who had the same /ondon accent as the black"clad killer in %revious
hostage videos) warned Cameron that he would have more blood on his hands if the
UK continued to fight Isis$ It is the third recent filmI the others showed the murder of
two U 5ournalists 7 #ames Foley and teven otloff 7 which have emerged at
intervals of *- to *. days since *F !ugust$
! statement released at the end of the Paris conference attended by ,G countries as
well as the !rab /eague) the =U and the UD) said they su%%orted an inquiry led by the
UD high commissioner for human rights into whether the slaughter of Iraqi and yrian
civilians constituted crimes against humanity$
4he countries) it said) were committed to su%%orting the new Iraqi government in its
fight against Isis 1by any means necessary) including a%%ro%riate military assistance)
in line with the needs e@%ress by the Iraqi authorities) in accordance with international
law and without 5eo%ardising civilian security1$
In his statement) Cameron made no mention of recalling %arliament to debate the
%ossibility of air strikes) which he has %romised to do before ordering military action
unless confronted by an emergency$ MPs are in recess for %arty conferences until *.
Actober$
?e is under %ressure from hawks within the Conservative %arty) including the former
defence secretary /iam Fo@) who are %ushing for the UK to 5oin air strikes$ 6ritish
military chiefs) including /ord <annatt) a former head of the army) warned that the
strength of Isis could grow if the government did not 1confront and destroy1 its
influence$
4he U carried out at least nine air strikes last week) while the UK has %ledged to hel%
arm the Kurdish resistance forces in Iraq$ 4hese actions were mentioned in the Isis
video) entitled ! Message to the !llies of !merica) as reasons for the killing of ?aines$
Posted by Thavam