Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq, (krp.org)- President Masoud Barzani received a French diplomatic delegation headed by the Foreign Minister of France, Mr. Laurent Fabius today in Erbil. During the meeting, President Barzani warmly welcomed the delegation and expressed his thanks to the government of France for their support of the Kurdistan Region. 

President Barzani during a press conference with Mr. Laurent Fabius discussed the latest political developments in Iraq and the security and military situation in the Kurdistan Region. President Barzani stated that the terrorists of ISIS will not be able to damage the relations between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and our Arab brothers and that ISIS is a common enemy for all of Iraq and much beyond.

Erbil, Kurdistan (DFR.KRG.org) – Bruno Saccomani, Canada’s Ambassador to Iraq, visited the KRG Department of Foreign Relations today to express Canada’s support for the Kurdistan Region and to discuss ways of providing assistance.

Minister Falah Mustafa thanked the ambassador for visiting and supporting the Kurdistan Region at this important time. He briefed Ambassador Saccomani about the latest security and humanitarian developments and reiterated the KRG’s call for international support.

Ambassador Saccomani praised Kurdish Peshmerga forces, stating, “We thank Kurdistan for fighting the ISIS militants on behalf of the world.” He commended the humanitarian assistance provided to the refugees and internally displaced people by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the people of Kurdistan Region. He said, “Thank you for being such a great example to the rest of the world. Your compassion and generosity is very much admirable.”

The ambassador emphasized the importance of preserving the safety and stability of the Kurdistan Region, as it has become a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs. “During times of chaos, people run to safety. Because of the KRG and Peshmerga forces, people are running to the Kurdistan Region for safety now,” said the ambassador.

Ambassador Saccomani stated that ISIS is an international threat; therefore, the international community has a moral responsibility to come forward and actively support the Kurdistan Region in terms of humanitarian and military support. He expressed Canada’s full support for the American air strikes against ISIS positions. The ambassador stated that the government of Canada hears the KRG loud and clear and that it will very soon provide logistical military support as well as humanitarian assistance to the refugees and IDPs. The Ambassador spoke of providing urgent medical support for the thousands of Yezidis who were stranded on Mount Sinjar for several days and have taken shelter in the province of Duhok.

Minister Mustafa thanked the Ambassador for Canada’s support and reiterated the determination of the Kurdish leadership and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to continue to fight ISIS terrorists.

Michael Calan, Director General of the Middle East Division at the Canadian Department of International Development and Karwan Jamal, Deputy Head of the DFR, also attended the meeting.

By Mick Krever and Ken Olshansky, CNN

The foreign minister of Iraqi Kurdistan on Wednesday issued a desperate plea for American and Western intervention to halt the advance of ISIS extremists.

“We are left alone in the front to fight the terrorists of ISIS,” Falah Mustafa Bakir told CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, in for Christiane Amanpour.

“I believe the United States has a moral responsibility to support us, because this is a fight against terrorism, and we have proven to be pro-democracy, pro-West, and pro-secularism.”

While much of the world's attention has recently been focused on Gaza, ISIS has been sweeping across northern Iraq.

Over the weekend, ISIS forces captured a string of towns controlled by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, who, after the near-collapse of the Iraqi army in June, have been seen as the only force capable of confronting ISIS.

Bakir said that Kurdish forces have started to reverse the defensive tack they were forced to take over the weekend.

“This is something way beyond the capacity of the Iraqi air forces. We need the United States and NATO to interfere because we are fighting on behalf of all those who are against terrorism.”

“The U.S. troops have left; the six Iraqi divisions have disappeared. Now it’s only the Peshmerga forces facing these terrorist groups, who have captured all these advanced and sophisticated weaponry from the Iraqi army.”
“And the irony is that we are using outdated, Russian weapons, and the terrorists are using sophisticated and advanced American weapons against us.”
Among the towns captured was Sinjar, home to many Yazidi, a small religious sect whose members are particular targets for the Sunni extremists of ISIS.

Thousands fled with barely any supplies, many into nearby mountains where they're stranded and surrounded by the extremists. They face starvation and dehydration.

While the United States has said it is “actively monitoring the situation” and is providing assistance to the Peshmerga, there seems to be no appetite for a more substantive American intervention in Iraq.

“We have listened to [people] supporting our experience, supporting us. This is now time for action.”

“We have made some progress and we will continue. We are determined in order to take all the areas that have been taken by ISIS back. But we need support, and that support would be in way of airstrikes but also weapons and ammunition.”

“This is a terrorist organization that has declared the war on all those who are against them. So therefore it’s not only the responsibility of Kurdistan. If we are not able to stop them here, they would continue and pose a threat to other countries as well.”

CNN Link 

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (DFR.krg.org) – The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, today welcomed Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli and his delegation to discuss the latest security, humanitarian, and political developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Minister Mustafa thanked the Deputy Minister for his visit and the attention that the government of Italy has paid to the recent developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

The Minister highlighted the latest developments and expressed the KRG’s disappointment in the lack of humanitarian and military support offered by the international community. He said, “We expected more than expressions of gratitude and appreciation. The international community is turning a blind eye to the urgent security and humanitarian challenges facing the people of Kurdistan.” 

He spoke of the security threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), stating, “Kurdish Peshmerga forces are facing a terrorist organization with members across the globe. This is a serious situation. Peshmerga forces are left alone and are fighting on behalf of the entire international community. ISIS poses a global threat; therefore, the international community has a moral responsibility to actively support the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in fighting ISIS militants.” 

Deputy Foreign Minister Pistelli praised the role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the KRG in response to recent security and humanitarian developments. He also condemned in strongest terms the violence perpetrated against Christians and Yezidis, lamenting the plight of these communities. He said, “The world is fully aware of the humanitarian assistance provided by the KRG to the refugees and IDPs, and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are doing an excellent job.”

In response to the KRG’s call for urgent humanitarian and military assistance, the Deputy Minister stated, “I will convey the message of the Kurdistan Regional Government to the government of Italy and the European Union. We understand the situation in the Kurdistan Region. You are shouldering a heavy burden on behalf of the international community, and you can not be left alone.”

Minister Mustafa reiterated the determination of the Kurdish leadership and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to continue to fight ISIS terrorists.

Italy’s Ambassador to Iraq, Massimo Moratti, and the Head of the Foreign Ministry’s Iraq Desk, Alessandro Motti, also attended the meeting. Deputy Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Karwan Jamal, and KRG Representative to Italy Rezan Kadir participated as well.

Salahadin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (krp.org)- President Masoud Barzani received Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, the Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon at his office in Salahadin today. Patriarch Sako was a accompanied by a delegation of clergymen from the Nineveh plains and other parts of Iraq. 

President Barzani warmly welcomed the delegation and reiterated his support for the Christian community of Mosul who have recently been subjected to a number of acts of violence in the hands of the ISIS terrorists. The President stated that the Kurdistan Region will continue to support the fleeing Christians and will utterly condemned the ISIS acts of terrorism against the Christians of the Nineveh plains. President Barzani said that "we will all either die together or we will live together with dignity," adding that the terrorist are a common enemy.

Patriarch Sako and the accompanying delegation expressed their gratitude to President Barzani and to the Kurdistan Region's stance of support, praying to an end of the current crisis in Mosul. 

Nazem Dabbagh, the representative of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq in Iran, said: while Iraqi groups got unified to destroy Saddam, so they do to oust Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (SIS) from Iraq.

Nazem Dabbagh, the representative of KRG in talk with foreign policy reporter of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) added: unluckily ISIS forces are about to consolidate themselves in Iraq in Sunni places in special.

Mentioning Kurdistan region conditions he declared: Pishmerga forces keep both the region located in Kurdistan and those out of the article 140 of constitute under their control as whole. A number of ISIS forces have been killed and some were arrested by Pishmerga forces.

Concerning the unity among Iraqi people stating that it acts as antitoxin against ISIS, Dabbagh added: the current condition of Iraq results from lack of unity of political leaders. The loss of the unity among political leaders and groups of the country on security and forces and army has a negative effect, in addition, it has made unsatisfactory between people and the government. 

While some of the residents from Sunni regions do not favor ISIS, but for reacting to Maliki government they have cooperated with them and it is an undeniable case.

The representative of KRG of Iraq in Tehran added: if the army resisted in the occupied regions, they would not fallen down too soon. A large number of army and security forces submitted their weapons to ISIS Troops by themselves. Meanwhile considerable heavy weapons have been sent to Syria from these regions.

He specified: establishing unity among political groups and identity validation for the nation of the country in a way they feel Iraqi, but Sunni, Shia and Kurd, is the most important present concern.

Regarding the role of strange interferes in Iraq condition he stated: all extra-regional and regional powers’ interests are affected by the resent changes of Iraq. To strengthen ISIS relies on strange factors and it is absolutely inevitable.

Nazem Dabbagh specified: as Iraqi groups became unified to destroy Saddam, they have to join forces. In such conditions political groups have got to give up their political personal and band interests to national ones of Iraq so that a real federal government and cooperative manners establish. 

Tehran-IRNA- Nazem Dabbagh the representative of Kordistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq in Islamic Republic of Iran stated: in our view Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) is a dangerous terrorist complex …. We deem it our duty to defend our regions and whole Iraq against this terrorist squad action.

He continued: we are in favor of Iraq Army to this terrorist complex and deem to defend Iraq our duty, but we have received no demand of help on behalf of the Army.

Presently Kurdish Pishmerga forces are watching out all regions of Kurd like Senjar and Jula, as strengthening our position, we have established a defend line against possible attacks of ISIS so that we can stop their possible progressing, he said.

According to current reports he continued: in the progress of these attacks the number of ISIS forces amounted to over 100000 people; however they could take up several central regions of Iraq.

Nazem Dabbagh, the representative of KRG of Iraq in Tehran indicated some aspects of the recent attack of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) in note for Etemaad news paper.

At the begging he said as the ISIS concern is not new but the problem is the extra forces of ISIS that were active in Syria entered Iraq. Therefore intelligence force of Iraq could not assess this case. He continued: Mosul is the second largest city after Baghdad. ISIS managed to after occupying this city headed Samarra, Salaheddin and Kirkuk, and took them under its control.

Although Iraqi forces could get back the control of the regions, Iraq needs to overview security problems. Dabbagh found the army weak, he knew the reason that nearly 100000 security forces could not prevent 3000 to 6000 forces of ISIS. In his view this weakness is in the security and intelligence system of Iraq, as in Iraq government.

At the end, Dabbagh started to offer strategies to influentially react to ISIS of which the center was people cooperation with the army. In the direction of obtaining necessary information concerning cases of people cooperation with the army was his desirable requirements. Dabbagh continued: to create national unity and serious participation among interior groups and parties of Iraq as well as Pishmerga of Iraq, army and security forces can find the main solution for present crises of Iraq. Finally he deemed the creation of unity among all Iraqi groups as necessary condition to react against ISIS and claimed if it fail to from the unity, the this terrorist groups will appear on political map.