Sunday, August 17, 2014

European Foreign Ministers are Warming up to the idea of Supplying Arms to the Kurds

European foreign ministers called for stepped-up measures to stop the Islamic State advance of the Sunni extremist group calling itself Islamic State, with the U.K. and Dutch governments saying they are willing to consider arms supplies to the Iraqi Kurds.
The U.S. has called on European nations to do more to help stem the Islamistmilitants. Since last week, Washington has carried out airstrikes and aid drops to relieve minority Yazidis trapped by Islamic State in the mountains in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.
European diplomats have said in recent days that the militant group's advance poses a direct threat to the region.
The U.K. had previously said it wouldn't supply arms to the Kurds, amid public unease about re-engaging militarily in Iraq following the withdrawal of British troops several years ago. The U.K. this week has used planes to transport weapons from other countries to the Kurds and deliver aid to the Yazidis.
The Ministers in a statement said they welcome "the decision by member states to respond positively to the call by the Kurdish regional authorities to provide urgently military material." The European Union will also examine how to prevent Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, from benefiting from oil sales, the statement said.
Kurdish fighters from the YPG Syrian Kurdistan
On his way into a ministerial meeting, U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Britain would probably supply arms to the Kurds if asked.
Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the Netherlands was open to supplying arms for the fight against Islamic militants.
YPG female fighter attends to young refugee
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Europeans still hadn't settled on just what form military aid for the Iraqi Kurds would take.
"What that will be is in many cases less clear than what the public statements of some governments until now may suggest," Mr. Steinmeier said.
French President François Hollande said Wednesday that his government is sending arms to the Kurds. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said again Friday that his country was prepared to ship arms to the Kurds although he is first seeking a common position within the bloc.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

If you like what you see, please "Like" us on Facebook either here or here. Please follow us on Twitter here.


No comments: