Islamic State: What the Paris Summit Failed to Settle (leJDD, France)
The summit convened on Monday [Sept. 14]
by François Hollande was, in his words, "one more step" in the international
mobilization against the Islamic State. Even so, not everything has been
decided on, notably in regard to the military operation to be conducted against
the jihadists…. . If all the world agrees that the
eradication of the Islamic State also involves Syria, the question remains no
less thorny, because an intervention in that country, unlike in Iraq, happens
to require the agreement of its regime.
It was a conference on "peace and security in Iraq."
François Hollande wanted to make it an "important step" in the international
mobilization against the Islamic State. The summit in Paris on Monday of about
30 countries ended with a declaration of ten very general principles, which
above all confirm that support for Baghdad against the jihadists may be "military."
Certain of the questions tackled on Monday, however, have not been responded to
publicly.
When will the intervention
be?
"There’s no time to lose," said François Hollande as
he opened the conference in Paris. From its base at Al-Dhafra
in the United Arab Emirates, France carried out its first reconnaissance
flights over Iraq with its DassaultRafale fighter aircraft. The objective: identify
priority targets to attack. The modalities of intervention for each state have
yet to be defined by the United Nations. A meeting of the U.N. Security Council
is scheduled for Friday [Sept. 19], but the timing of the air strikes is no more
precise. Neither did Barack Obama, in presenting his strategy for fighting the
jihadists in Iraq and Syria, provide more details. "We will not announce
our operations in advance," explained an American official.
Who will carry out
the strikes?
The international coalition in Iraq will not resume the
security dimension of its role, and not all of the countries will participate
in the strikes against jihadist positions - far from it. This role is primarily
vested in the United States, which began its air strikes on August 8. They will
soon be assisted by France. More hesitant, the United Kingdom has been slow to take
a similar decision. After the announcement last weekend of the Islamic State's execution
of a British hostage [David Haines], David Cameron assured that he is prepared
to "take all further steps necessary" without making any concrete
announcement. Both Canada and Australia have confirmed they are sending men to
provide intelligence or military advice in Iraq and the region. Other countries,
such as Germany and Italy, have committed to deliver arms and humanitarian aid
or finance the rebuilding of the Iraqi army.
Family Photo: Representatives of about 30 nations attended the
Paris Summit
for 'Peace and Security in Iraq' on
Monday. From the looks of it, precious little of
consequence was settled,
and no 'boots on the ground' were announced from any
of the participants.
What to do in Syria?
This is one of the principal points of disagreement between
Washington, which wants to expand its strikes to Syria, and Paris and London, who
are more reticent. If all the world agrees that the
eradication of the Islamic State also involves Syria, the question remains no
less thorny, because an intervention in that country, unlike in Iraq, happens
to require the agreement of its regime. An intervention with an international
framework here is therefore unlikely, because Russia and China continue to
block any resolution at the U.N. Security Council. What's more, in Paris on Monday,
the head of Russia's diplomatic mission, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, let it be known that Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and
similarly Iran (which was significantly absent from the Paris conference) are "natural allies in the fight against the Islamic
State." Neither does France herself want strikes in Syria to reinforce
Damascus. François Hollande therefore took care not to mention this question in
his speech, asking rather for reinforcement for the "forces of the
democratic opposition" by "all means."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
How to cut off
supplies to the Islamic State?
In their final declaration, the countries participating in
the Paris summit expressed their determination to take "necessary measures"
to address the "sources of recruitment and financing" of terrorist
groups, including the Islamic State. They recalled Resolution 2170
adopted last month by the U.N. Security Council which condemned "any
engagement in direct or indirect trade involving" these groups, notably in
the oil sector, "which could constitute financial support." Among the
measures envisaged include asset freezes and travel bans on individuals
associated with these movements. "Many stressed this morning (Monday) the
need to dry up funding for this terrorist group, and a conference will shortly
be organized to this end on the initiative of our Bahraini friends," specified
[Foreign Minister] Laurent Fabius.
This is a very sensitive issue, the Islamic State having
certainly profited from financial support from the Gulf States who now support the
international coalition in Iraq. Last week, the head of American diplomacy,
John Kerry, notably pointed his finger at the patronage coming from Qatar and
Kuwait. But the jihadist group, which today controls a fortune estimated at over
€1 billion, is equally financed by ransom money paid to free hostages. On this
matter, even Barack Obama has taken issue with France, confiding
to The New York Times this
weekend that "Hollande … says his country does not, when in fact it does,"
thus contradicting the official position of French diplomacy.
