France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following yesterday:
1. The Small Group of the Global Coalition to counter Da’esh met
today in Paris at the invitation of French Minister of Foreign Affairs
and International Development Laurent Fabius, for in-depth discussions
on the situation in Iraq and Syria, Coalition operations, the
stabilization of liberated areas, the safe and enduring return of
refugees and displaced persons, notably victims of ethnic and religious
violence, and the protection of cultural heritage.
2. The meeting was co-chaired by French Minister of Foreign affairs
and international development Laurent Fabius, Iraqi Prime Minister
Haïdar al-Abadi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry-remotely from the
U.S. and represented in Paris by Deputy Secretary of State Antony
Blinken. 24 delegations took part in the meeting (Australia, Bahrain,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, EU, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy,
Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, the UN (as observer), the US).
3. Daesh offensives in Ramadi, Iraq, and Palmyra, Syria, highlight
the urgency to renew and expand our collective endeavor to defeat
Dae’sh. Coalition partners reaffirmed their strong unity and their
commitment to work together under a common, multifaceted, and long term
strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat Da’esh, a threat to the entire
international community. They reiterated the global condemnation of
Da’esh sectarian strategy of murder and destruction, of its atrocities
and crimes, some of which may amount to war crimes and crimes against
humanity, and of its deliberate destruction of humanity’s common
heritage. They paid tribute to the victims of Da’esh violence, in
particular in Iraq and Syria, and to the members of the security forces
of Iraq who are fighting on the frontline against the terrorists, and
acknowledged the commitment of the international personnel of the
Coalition assisting them with equipment, training, and air support. They
stressed their continued resolve to remove Da’esh from the regions in
which it established itself in Iraq and Syria, and commended the
dedication and actions of the Coalition’s working groups to this end.
4. Coalition members reiterated the critical importance of pushing
forward rapidly reforms and reconciliation under the Iraqi government’s
national program, including the development of a national guard force to
bring all armed groups under state control, and the urgent need to find
a political solution to the Syrian conflict to address the root causes
of Da’esh expansion. They also stressed the need to sustainably defeat
Da’esh beyond the ongoing military campaign, through the disruption of
the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, the disruption of Da’esh’s
access to financing and funding, countering Da’esh’s criminal ideology,
and addressing associated humanitarian crises.
5. Prime Minister Haïdar al-Abadi confirmed the commitment of the
Iraqi authorities to the strengthening of the rule of law, the respect
of Human rights for all, a policy of inclusiveness, ensuring that all
components of the Iraqi society are represented in a fair manner within
the federal institutions and all citizens are treated equally, without
discrimination. He outlined the urgent response plan for the Liberation
of Anbar Province as approved unanimously on May 18th by Iraq’s Council
of Ministers. The key elements of this plan include the following five
steps: 1) Accelerating support to the tribal fighters of Anbar province,
including their recruitment, equipping, and training, to fight
alongside Iraqi forces against Da’esh; 2) Recruiting into the Iraqi Army
divisions, particularly those divisions based in Anbar province that
have been depleted from over 18 months of fighting; 3) Recalling and
restructuring the Anbar police force to hold territory liberated from
Da’esh; 4) Calling for international contributions to the UNDP-endorsed
funding mechanism to facilitate immediate stabilization of areas cleared
of Da’esh; and 5) ensuring that all forces participating in the
liberation of Anbar province operate under the command and control of
the Prime Minister and Iraq’s chain of command. Coalition ministers
affirmed their strong support for this response plan, and agreed to
accelerate their efforts in each of the five areas. They also expressed
unanimous support for the Government of Iraq’s efforts to mobilize and
equip tribal fighters in Anbar province and agreed to support these
efforts through the Iraqi government. Finally, they pledged full support
to the Government and people of Iraq in the implementation of policies
and concrete measures to address Iraqi citizens’ legitimate grievances
and to promote national reconciliation, based on the provisions of the
Iraqi constitution and the program of government agreed by the
Government of Iraq in September 2014.
6. Coalition partners noted the continued deterioration of the
situation in Syria and the inability and unwillingness of the Assad
regime to fight Da’esh. They reiterated their pledge to preserve Syria’s
unity and sovereignty and called for the speedy launch of a
UN-facilitated genuine and inclusive political process in order to
implement the principles of the Geneva Communiqué –including the
establishment, by mutual consent, of a transitional governing body with
full executive powers. They affirmed that only a political transition
will create the necessary conditions to reverse the tide of extremism
and radicalism generated by the regime’s abuses, and confront all
terrorist organisations in Syria, including Da’esh, efficiently.
7. Coalition partners stressed that the fight against Da’esh in Syria
and Iraq remained their key priority, but noted that Da’esh tried to
expand its reach to other areas affected by political crisis and
instability, such as Libya. Although many “affiliations” to Da’ech are
mainly symbolic, Coalition partners reaffirmed the need for the
international community to support processes to address local causes of
political crisis and instability, and to defeat this terrorist group,
and its vicious ideology, wherever it appeared.
8. Coalition partners recognized the role played by the United
Nations in the region to support political processes, coordinate and
facilitate international humanitarian assistance, help refugees and
internally displaced persons, and protect cultural heritage. They
expressed their support to UNHCR operations to provide assistance and
protection to refugees and displaced persons, through its Response Plan
(Situation Emergency Response Appeal), including activities aimed at
identifying and assisting voluntary returns when feasible. They agreed
to take into account the specific need to protect threatened populations
such as people belonging to ethnic or religious communities, in
particular by creating the conditions for the safe, voluntary and
enduring return of refugees and displaced persons. In this regard,
Coalition partners welcomed the prospect of a high-level meeting in
Paris to present a charter of action as a follow up to the public debate
of the Security Council on the victims of ethnic and religious attacks
in the Middle East that took place on March 27, 2015. They also welcomed
the establishment of the Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation
to ensure resources flow immediately to areas cleared of Da’esh, and
initial contributions from partners.
9. Coalition partners expressed their support for the UNESCO action
plans for the safeguard of the cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq, the
UNESCO resolution on culture in conflict areas, the #United4Heritage
campaign, and the implementation of UNSC resolution 2199 in the field of
UNESCO competences
10. Coalition partners of the Small Group will remain fully mobilized
in the coming months in the fight against Da’esh. They will report to
the members of the entire Coalition on their efforts and make sure that
the lines of effort the Coalition is pursuing against this terrorist
organization are being advanced by the Coalition’s five working groups
and followed up on in the framework of the United Nations, of regional
organizations, by other bodies established to fight terrorism, and by
all States concerned.
11. Coalition partners of the Small Group expressed their intent to
meet at the Head of State and Government level with all members of the
Coalition on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September.
Haïder al-Abadi
Prime Minister of Iraq
Laurent Fabius
Minister of Foreign affairs and international development of France
John Kerry
Secretary of State of the United States of America
