Council of the European Union

Press Release

3332nd Council meeting

Brussels, 15 August 2014

Foreign Affairs

President: Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

[Below is the section of the press release related to Iraq]

Main Results of the Council

Iraq

The EU today reiterated its firm commitment to Iraq's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ministers expressed more specifically their concern about the dire humanitarian situation and the deterioration of the security situation in Iraq as a result of the assaults by ISIL.

The Council welcomed the decision by individual member states to respond positively to the call by the Kurdish regional authorities to provide urgently military material. Such responses will be done according to the capabilities and national laws of the member states, and with the consent of the Iraqi national authorities.

The EU will assess how to prevent ISIL benefitting from oil sales and condemns those funding the ISIL in contravention of UNSCR 1267 and subsequent resolutions. The Council invites the European External Action Service to ensure a stronger presence in Erbil.

The Council recalled the substantial efforts of solidarity that the EU and its member states are making to provide humanitarian aid and welcomed the commitment of additional European funds as well as the mobilization of the European Emergency Response Coordination Centre and the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

The EU welcomes the nomination of Mr. Heider Al Abadi as Prime Minister-designate and expresses its continued support for the constitutional process.

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Click here for the press release on the Council of the European Union's website