Isis talks: leaders and diplomats gather in Paris to plan action

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/15/isis-talks-leaders-paris-action

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Leaders and diplomats from more than 20 countries will gather in Paris on Monday for talks on how to defeat Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

After touring the Middle East to drum up support for an international coalition against the militants, US secretary of state John Kerry will be in the French capital for the discussions.

The White House said on Sunday it would find allies willing to send combat forces – something the US has ruled out – but that it was too early to identify them. The US has so far been alone in carrying out airstrikes.

Several Arab countries offered to conduct airstrikes against Isis, according to a state department official traveling with Kerry who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomat developments during his trip.

A second official gave some examples of what the US would consider a military contribution: providing arms, any kind of training activity and airstrikes.

French president Francois Hollande and his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Massoum will co-chair the conference of 26 countries, plus the European Union, United Nations, and the Arab League which is officially about supporting the new Iraqi government but which has taken on more urgency with the latest beheading of a western hostage by Isis.

Hollande said the goals were to provide political support to the Iraqi government, coordinate humanitarian aid, and fight the Islamic State militants.

The conference agenda deliberately focused on Iraq for fear that discussions on Syria could distract from efforts to build a coalition. France had initially wanted to invite Iran, but US and Saudi officials objected.

Massoum, a Kurd whose role in the new Iraqi government is largely ceremonial, told Associated Press that he regretted that Iran was not attending the conference while noting “sensitivities between some countries and Iran.”

He also seemed not to welcome the possible participation Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in air strikes in Iraqi territory.

“It is not necessary that they participate in air strikes; what is important is that they participate in the decisions of this conference,” he said, underscoring Baghdad’s closeness to Iran and how tensions among the regional powers could complicate the process of forming a Sunni alliance.

Also present in Paris will be British foreign secretary Philip Hammond and Kerry’s Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov with the talks aimed at defining the role each member will play in the fight to destroy IS.

British prime minister David Cameron vowed on the eve of the conference that Britain will hunt down those responsible for the gruesome killing of hostage David Haines, describing them as the “embodiment of evil”.

Haines was the third Western hostage to be beheaded by the militants in less than a month. Islamic State (IS) released a video Saturday showing his killing and issued a death threat against another British captive, Alan Henning.

President Barack Obama offered US support for its “ally in grief”, after two Americans were killed by the jihadists, while the UN Security Council condemned the “heinous and cowardly murder.”

Australia is among the latest countries to make a concrete commitment to the growing coalition, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott saying Canberra would deploy 600 troops to the United Arab Emirates, a regional Washington ally.

Ten Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, are among the countries backing the coalition.

Speaking in Paris, a US official said the number of countries signing on was “going up almost every hour,” from Europe and the Middle East right across to Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.