Italy's parliament on Wednesday
backed Premier Matteo Renzi's move to send military aid to Iraqi
Kurds fighting an offensive by fundamentalist Islamic State
(ISIS) militia in the country's north as the premier himself met
with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders as well as refugees in Baghdad
and Erbil.
Now that parliament has approved the resolution,
Italian-supplied weapons including anti-tank rockets, automatic
weapons, machine guns and ammunition could be in the hands of
Kurdish forces "within days," Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti
said.
"Prior planning" by the government means that organizing
transfers of weapons via air and sea "is already in progress and
may be finalized in the next few days," the minister said.
European foreign ministers decided last Friday to accept
urgent requests from Kurdish authorities for weapons, subject to
the consent of Iraqi national authorities.
Indeed, Iraqi Premier-designate Haider al-Abadi issued a
call for help after meeting with his Italian counterpart.
"We hope the European Union will help us fight this war
against terrorist groups," Abadi said.
"Europe will not turn its back on Iraq," the Italian
premier said during his brief mission to Baghdad, adding that
Italy will respect Iraq's sovereignty and make sure any weapons
deliveries happen under Baghdad's supervision.
"Anyone who thinks Europe is about to turn its back on the
ongoing slaughter in Iraq...has gotten the wrong forecast or the
wrong semester," said Renzi, who is representing the European
Union during Italy's six-month duty presidency.
"Europe is not just about (interest rate) spreads and
rules," the Italian premier tweeted on his @matteorenzi account.
"It was born to defend...human dignity. That's why we are
here today #Erbil," said the 39-year-old premier, who went on to
compare ISIS atrocities in Iraq and neighboring Syria to the
1995 Srebrenica genocide in the former Yugoslavia.
"At the time, many in my generation said 'Never again',"
the premier said just before leaving Erbil, the capital of Iraqi
Kurdistan.
"Europe cannot afford to remain silent this time, because
this battle is in the very heart of Europe".
Later on Wednesday, Italian national security authorities
issued an alert for possible terrorist attacks on "sensitive
targets" after receiving unspecified "threats" in relation to
Italy's military aid to Iraq. The potential targets include
embassies, places of worship, stations, ports, airports, and
travel agencies, officials said.
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