President Barzani holds talks with British Foreign Secretary in Erbil

President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani received the British Foreign Secretary William Hague in Erbil for talks on the current crisis in Iraq and about international efforts to confront Islamist extremists threatening to overrun parts of the country.

At a joint press conference with Mr Barzani, Mr Hague said the UK would press for action at the UN to stem the flow of arms from insurgents and stop their access to finance.

"I am very pleased to be here in Erbil and I thank President Barzani for his hospitality and for our productive discussions. I think it will be important in this new and deeply concerning situation to make sure that every loophole is being dealt with to make sure it is difficult for terrorist groups to use economic assets they have seized, to take advantage of the financial system," he said.

Mr Barzani highlighted during their meeting on the latest developments in the region, and emphasised on ‘Article 140’ of the Iraqi constitution which states disputed areas has been retrieved to Kurdistan.

Hague’s arrival comes a few days after US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Baghdad and Erbil, at which time he urged Iraqi leaders to solve their differences and insisted they form a new government as soon as possible.