EU mobilises over Iraq crisis

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2014

Dubai International mobilisation over the crisis in Iraq gained pace on Wednesday, as France announced that it would start supplying arms to Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). EU foreign ministers also called to convene an emergency meeting on Iraq on Friday to discuss arms supplies. The US has already announced it was arming Kurds, as observers questioned what motives were behind the US’ swift response as opposed to other crisis’ in the region. The US decision to directly arm the Kurds goes against US protocal to send arms only through Baghdad. Meanwhile, Iraqi PM Nouri Al Maliki clings to power, despite his chief allies Iran and the US both calling for him to step down, as well as members of his own political party. “I confirm that the government will continue and there will not be a replacement for it without a decision from the federal court,” Al Maliki said in his televised weekly address. The two-term premier has accused Iraqi President Fouad Masoum of violating the constitution by approving Haidar Al Abadi to replace him. It is widely speculated that even a court ruling in favor of Al Maliki will not be enough to keep him in power. Meanwhile, time was running out for Iraq’s minority Yazidis who have been trapped on mount Sinjar for ten days without food and water. As many as 30,000 Yazidis sought refuge in the mountain escaping brutal attacks from Isil militants who are said to have killed at least 500 Yazidis and buried many alive. UN minority rights expert Rita Izsak has warned they face “a mass atrocity and potential genocide within days or hours”. The displaced who managed to flee found relative security in Kurdistan but complained that their living conditions had hardly improved. “We were besieged for 10 days in the mountain. The whole world is talking about us but we did not get any real help,” said Khodhr Hussain. “We went from hunger in Sinjar to hunger in this camp.” US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Washington is looking at options to bring the trapped civilians out.

“We will make a very rapid and critical assessment because we understand it is urgent to try to move those people off the mountains,” he said.

By Layelle Saad GCC/Middle East Editor