Dubai: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said his country was opposed to Iran’s participation in an international conference in Paris on Monday on Iraq, which is grappling with an offensive by Islamist militants.
“No one has called me and asked me with respect to the presence of Iran, but I think under the circumstances at this moment in time... it would not be appropriate given the many other issues... with respect to their engagement in Syria and elsewhere,” Kerry said.
His comments came after France indicated that it is prepared to invite Iran to the conference aimed at coordinating actions to knock out Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
An unnamed French official said the only hitch is agreeing with partners, but added “we are not far from a consensus.”
Kerry was in Ankara to meet Turkish leaders to try to win support for US-led military action against Isil, following Turkey’s reluctance to play a frontline role in building a coalition for a regional war.
Turkey, which shares long borders with Syria and Iraq, is one of Washington’s main allies in the region but has so far conspicuously avoided committing to the new military campaign.
US officials downplayed hopes of persuading Ankara to take a significant role in any military involvement, saying the talks would focus on issues including Turkey’s efforts to stem the flow of foreign fighters crossing its territory and its role in providing humanitarian assistance.
The Ankara meetings came a day after Kerry signed up 10 Arab allies to a “coordinated military campaign” to fight the militants. But Turkey did not join the Arab states in signing up.
A senior Turkish official said Ankara stayed out of the communique in part due to the sensitivity of efforts to free 46 Turkish hostages captured by Isil fighters in Iraq in June.
In Baghdad, President Francois Hollande said during a visit to Iraq yesterday that France is ready to step up military assistance, as global efforts intensified to defeat the jihadists.
Meanwhile, a CIA spokesman said a new intelligence assessment estimates that Isil can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, up from a previous figure of 10,000.
The new assessment is based on a review of intelligence reports from May to August. It is larger than the 20,000 figure being used by many outside experts.
— With inputs from agencies