(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) President of the European Parliament (EP) Martin Schulz on Saturday described the situation in Iraq as "alarming' and warned that it poses a threat to the entire Gulf region.
"The security situation in northern Iraq poses a threat to the existence of the Iraqi state and to the status quo in the region as a whole," he told a summit meeting of EU leaders here this evening. "The onus is on the international community to prevent the collapse of the Iraqi state and thus ward off the threat of a large-scale regional conflict which would inevitably have repercussions for the EU as well," Schulz stressed.
"We must not abandon the people of Iraq to their fate. The refugees, particularly the Yazidis, Christians and Turkmens, need substantial quantities of aid. We must provide this quickly and subject to a minimum of formalities," he said.
Schulz noted that the appointment of Haider Al-Abadi as the new Prime Minister holds out the prospect of a new government with the capacity to act and to involve all social and religious groups in the work of running the country.
"The European Parliament calls on all regional actors to contribute to promoting security and stability in Iraq, and in particular to encourage the Iraqi Government to reach out to all religious and ethnic groups and reorganise the army along inclusive, non-sectarian and non-partisan lines," he stressed.
"We urgently need to step up our internal cooperation in order to stop ISIS recruiting fighters in our own countries. We must not forget that thousands of Europeans have joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria," said the EP President.
Moreover, Schulz welcomed the agreement on an open-ended ceasefire in Gaza, and called on all parties to honour the pledges they have given. "The easing of the blockade on the Gaza Strip is an important step in the right direction.Now we need a comprehensive and sustainable solution," he said. He said that the EP takes the view that the EU, as a reliable and credible partner both of Israel and of the Palestinians, is in a better position than ever to launch ambitious diplomatic initiatives and push for a resumption of the peace negotiations.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, he warned that a direct military confrontation between Ukraine and Russia might well see the situation spiral completely out of control.
"The parties to the conflict and the international community must do everything in their power to prevent this from happening. It is vital that the EU should adopt a coherent, united stance," he said.
He called on Russia to take measures to control its own borders with Ukraine effectively, halt the ongoing incursions - involving movements of irregular fighters, arms and equipment, cease all hostile actions and put a stop to the infiltration into Ukrainian territory.
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