By John Phillips
ROME
Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi flew to Baghdad to meet Iraqi officials Wednesday and pledged Europe will not “turn its back” on what he described as the "massacre" of civilians by Islamic State militants in Iraq.
Renzi's trip - in keeping with Italy’s role as the current rotating president of the European Union - saw him tell Iraqi counterpart Haider Al Abdi that “the integrity of the region and of Iraq is fundamental for the stability of the entire area.”
“If anyone thinks Europe will turn its back on the massacres in Iraq they are mistaken or else they have mistaken semester,” the Italian prime minister said, meaning that Iraq will be a top EU priority during Italy’s six-month presidency.
“Europe must be present in Iraq at the moment or it is not Europe,” he added.
From Baghdad Wednesday, Renzi was traveling to Erbil for a meeting with Masud Barzani, president of the regional government of Kurdistan during which he was expected to brief the Kurdish leader on Italian plans to provide weapons for Kurdish forces.
Renzi’s trip marked the first by an Italian prime minister to Iraq since Giulio Andreotti went to Baghdad in 1978.
“Italy has become a player again in crisis areas,” Renzi said recently. He has reportedly told aides that “From Libya to Ukraine and Iraq” Italy must no longer merely follow other countries’ policies.
Nevertheless, the prime minister was criticized by the opposition M5S and Forza Italia parties for making the lightning trip rather than wait for Wednesday's meeting of the joint foreign affairs and defense committees of both houses of Italy’s parliament.
At the meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini and Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti briefed MPs on the coalition governments plans to provide arms and ammunition to Kurdish forces fighting ISIS.
Mogherini told MPs that “immediate military aid to Iraq is indispensable” since “the lives are at risk of Christian, Yazidi and Muslim civilians."
It is a political and above all moral duty to respond to a humanitarian drama,” she said, adding that the Islamic State represents “a threat not only to Iraq, but for the entire region, for Europe and for the whole world.”
Renzi’s trip, decided only two days ago, is also seen by the Italian foreign ministry as part of an ongoing campaign by Rome to keep Italy’s international profile high to help Mogherini become the new EU High Representatative for Foreign Affairs, replacing Britain’s Baroness Catherine Ashton.
Pinotti told MPS that Italy is ready to provide “light automatic weapons and ammunition” to Kurdish Peshmerga forces.”
The Italian defence ministry has said it is considering sending some 23,000 AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Peshmerga that Italy confiscated as part of United Nations sanctions during the Bosnian war in 1994.
The Italian Senate joint foreign affairs and defence committee approved the dispatch of the military aid to the Kurds late Wednesday by 27 votes in favour to four opposed, while MPs in the Chamber of Deputies committee approved the arms by 56 votes in favour with 12 opposed.
Before he left for Iraq, Renzi had a series of telephone conversations with international leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Italian foreign ministry said.
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