At an international gathering in Paris to discuss peace and security in Iraq, world leaders from more than 30 countries pledged Monday to use "any means necessary" to defeat the Islamic State, also known by its English and Arabic acronyms as ISIL, Daesh or Daech.
The International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq was co-chaired by French President Francois Hollande and Iraqi President Fouad Massoum.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the conclusions following the day-long conference, which read in part:
"All participants underscored the urgent need to remove Daech (ISIL) from the regions in which it has established itself in Iraq. To that end, they committed to supporting the new Iraqi Government in its fight against Daech (ISIL), by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance, in line with the needs expressed by the Iraqi authorities, in accordance with international law and without jeopardizing civilian security."
Following the talks, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius remarked that IS is "a movement so dangerous that all those here today consider it necessary not just to make it retreat, but to make it disappear."
"It was a solemn meeting, but when 30 countries among the most powerful in the world with very different geographical, political and ideological situations all say we have decided to fight [IS] and not just push it back but defeat it ... that is a moment that gives great hope."
"They are all standing by our side," Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said of the overwhelming support.
Conference attendees included representatives from Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Arab League, European Union, and United Nations.
