Foreign Secretary discusses ISIL with Iraqi Vice President
Philip Hammond meets Iraqi Vice President Allawi, discusses co-operation against ISIL & urges formation of full government.
Today, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond met Dr Ayad Allawi, Vice President of Iraq, in London. Speaking after the meeting, the Foreign Secretary said:
Vice President Allawi and I agreed that the international community must use all the instruments at our disposal – humanitarian, diplomatic and military – to defeat ISIL, a barbaric terrorist group, whose brutal actions over the weekend showed exactly what it stands for.
The newly-formed democratically-elected government in Baghdad has a vital role to play in the fight against ISIL. Addressing the legitimate demands of the different communities in Iraq and allowing them to unite together against extremism and terrorism will be central to this; and so I welcome Dr Allawi’s commitment to making progress on these issues.
The UK is committed to assisting and promoting an inclusive Iraqi government and to working with Iraq to combat the threat of ISIL. This will include alleviating the humanitarian suffering of those Iraqis targeted by ISIL terrorists; promoting an inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq that can push ISIL back and restore stability and security across the country; and working with the international community to tackle the threat that ISIL poses to the region and other countries around the world, including the UK.
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