French foreign minister arrived in Erbil for talks with President Barzani on crisis in the region

France's foreign minister said during a visit to Iraq on Sunday that Paris will provide "several tons" of aid to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people and called upon leaders in Baghdad to unite against Sunni militants who have seized large parts of the country.

 

In a joint press conference with Kurdistan-Region president, Massoud Barzani, Minister Laurent Fabius - who became the first senior western official to visit Erbil since the crisis - said, “Next week I will propose to open an air corridor between Europe and the Kurdistan Region to get aid to the Kurdish Yezidi refugees as soon as possible.”

“All Iraqis should feel that they are represented in this government, and all Iraqis should feel they are represented to take part in this battle against terrorism.” Fabius said in reference to ISIS fighters.

Minister Fabius left France early on Sunday travelling to Baghdad then onwards to Erbil where he held talks with President Barzani, and oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians who have fled the advance of Islamist fighters