Letter from Laurent Fabius to Catherine Ashton and Kristalina Georgieva
11 August 2014
I have just returned from Erbil, where I was able to confirm first-hand the utterly dire nature of the situation in
northern Iraq. Confronted with Islamic State advances, threatened civilian populations—each day ever more numerous—must
flee, and the local authorities are facing a tragic humanitarian situation whose dimensions exceed their ability to
respond.
With this drama playing out on its doorstep, Europe must not remain inactive. Solidarity with the persecuted community
is a moral imperative. Europe’s strategic interests and the defense of liberties also demand it.
Massoud Barzani, President of the Regional Government of Kurdistan, asked me to establish, on an extremely urgent basis,
an air bridge to supply humanitarian relief from Europe to northern Iraq, as well as temporary construction materials to
help local authorities meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons fleeing the barbarity of Islamic
State.
He also stressed the pressing need for weapons and ammunition that would allow him to confront and fight the Islamic
State terrorist group.
It is vital for the European Union to mobilize immediately to answer this call for help. I would therefore be very
grateful to you for urgently rallying Europe’s member states and institutions. A special meeting of the Foreign Affairs
Council seems advisable.
France—whose first shipment of humanitarian aid I supervised yesterday—stands ready to respond.
ENDS