Jordan renews support for Iraq at coalition meeting

PARIS — The US-led coalition of powers battling the Daesh terror group on Tuesday urged a rapid UN-backed political solution for the crisis in Syria, where the so-called jihadists are wreaking havoc.

In a joint statement following a meeting of the international coalition, the 20 or so representatives called for the "speedy launch of a UN-facilitated, genuine and inclusive political process", Agence France-Presse reported. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh, who participated in the meeting, reasserted Jordan's position, stressing the importance of coordinating efforts and boosting cooperation among the international coalition partners to confront terrorism and radicalism. 

Judeh also stressed Jordan's support for the Iraqi government's efforts to achieve reform that promotes national unity, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.   

At the meeting, which was co-chaired by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, discussions focused on the coalition's strategy to defeat Daesh and to protect minorities. 

Following talks between coalition countries fighting the terror group, Fabius said that they were united in combat against the group but acknowledged that the battle would be long.

"We reaffirmed our unity and common determination to fight Islamic State, but we recognise it is a long-term battle," he told a news conference.

He said Abadi had also vowed to reconcile all strands of the country's society.

Speaking alongside Fabius and US Secretary of State John Kerry's deputy Antony Blinken, Abadi was quoted by Reuters as saying: "We can make sacrifices to fight Islamic State but the international coalition has to support us."

On the sidelines of meeting, Judeh met with Fabius and stressed the significance of joining efforts of the international community to combat extremism and terrorism which affected the entire world, Petra reported.

The meeting also tackled bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Iraqi, Libyan, Yemeni and Syrian arenas, highlighting the importance of reaching political solutions to all these issues through dialogue.

Judeh met separately over the same issues with his German and Norwegian peers, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Borge Brende, respectively, along with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. 

The meetings also emphasised the need for cooperation among all relevant parties to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis until reaching the two-state solution, with Judeh stressing the importance of the EU role in this regard.