- Title: I.S. militants top agenda as French, Iraqi FMs meet
- Date: 17th October 2019
- Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF MEETING BETWEEN FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN AND IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER, MOHAMED ALI ALHAKIM LE DRIAN AND ALHAKIM WALKING TOWARDS LECTERN IRAQI, FRENCH AN EU FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, SAYING: "Returning to the rest of Syria - in our view, it means there is a necessity for the international coalition to meet as soon as possible. Our enemy is Daesh (the Islamic State militants). We fought together against Daesh. We fought together as an international coalition. This international coalition should meet to confront this new danger caused by the Turkish military offensive in the north of Syria and the risks of a resurgence, a reappearance of Daesh in Syria and Iraq.'' IRAQI, FRENCH AND EU FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, SAYING: ''We also talked about the foreign fighters. There are jihadist fighters imprisoned in camps in northeast of Syria. There are a lot of them, and as you pointed out, there are Iraqis among them. And then there are foreign fighters from 72 different countries. They are in camps and prisons supervised by Syrian Democratic Forces. We have to be attentive to keep security maintained there, including for those who fought in Iraq." MEMBERS OF DELEGATIONS LISTENING TO NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER, MOHAMED ALI ALHAKIM, SAYING: ''Iraq adopts all necessary security measures to prevent the infiltration of foreign fighters across borders. Also, Iraq has officially declared that it will receive all Iraqi fighters along with their families and children and that it will return them to Iraq.'' LE DRIAN AND ALHAKIM BY LECTERN AFTER NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 31st October 2019 11:09
- Keywords: Iraq France Le drian Mohammed Ali al Hakim meeting le drian in baghdad
- Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- City: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1HKKZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed with Iraqi senior officials a judicial framework to enable jihadists being held in Syria to face trial in Iraq on Thursday (October 17) during his visit to Baghdad.
Speaking during a news conference with Mohamed Ali Alhakim, his Iraqi counterpart, Le Drian said: "There are foreign fighters from 72 different countries. They are in camps and prisons supervised by Syrian Democratic Forces. We have to be attentive to keep security maintained there, including for those who fought in Iraq."
European states are trying to fast-track a plan to shift thousands of foreign Islamic State militants out of Syrian prison camps and into Iraq, after the outbreak of fresh conflict in Syria raised the risk of jihadists escaping or returning home, diplomats and officials have told Reuters.
Europe does not want to try its Islamic State nationals at home, fearing a public backlash, difficulties in collating evidence against them, and risks of renewed attacks from militants on European soil.
Iraq saw some of the bloodiest battles against Islamic State and its government is already conducting trials of thousands of suspected Islamic State insurgents.
Kurdish officials have said almost 800 people fled that camp after the Turkish offensive into northern Syria targeted the area.
(Production: Maher Nazeh, Mohammed al-Ramahi, Mohammed Katfan, Chiara Rodriquez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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