Iraq: Talks To Arm Kurds As PM Calls For Unity

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss whether to provide military equipment to Kurdish fighters in Iraq.

They will also co-ordinate their stance on providing humanitarian aid for those fleeing Islamic State (IS) militants, formerly known as the Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Meanwhile, Iraq's prime minister designate, Haider al Abadi, said his country must unite in the face of "serious challenges".

Writing on Facebook after his predecessor, Nouri al Maliki, bowed to pressure and stepped down on Thursday, Mr al Abadi said he would not make "unrealistic promises" but added: "I will do my best to serve our people and our homeland."

Other EU countries have already agreed to send weapons to the Kurds

The Iraqi military has been struggling to contain the IS onslaught, especially in the north of the country, where thousands of people have been forced to flee after they were given an ultimatum to convert to Islam or face death.

The offensive has seen the fall of major cities including Mosul and Tikrit, with reports of beheadings and crucifixions as they grab more territory for their self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg agreed during an emergency Cobra meeting that it was "vital" to help the fight against the militants.

Yazidi people demonstrate at the Iraq-Syria border

The Government is expected to provide weapons and equipment, should Kurdish leaders make a request, although a Downing Street source said any supplies would be "dependent on what the Kurds would need".

France is already sending weapons to Iraq, with President Francois Hollande confirming the "imminent delivery of military equipment".

Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have also said they will send arms or are considering doing so.

Meanwhile, several thousand refugees from the Yazidi minority remain on Mount Sinjar in searing temperatures, although the US has said it is now unlikely to mount a rescue.

Nouri al Maliki has bowed to pressure at home and abroad

President Barack Obama said the situation had "greatly improved" after a special forces mission found many people had escaped.

Airdrops had delivered more than 114,000 meals and tens of thousands of gallons of water, with fighter jets striking Islamic State fighters to allow the drops to take place, he said.

He added that although the militants' siege of Sinjar town had been broken, strikes would continue.

UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening said military action and resistance from Kurdish troops had cleared a safe path for many refugees, who originally were thought to number in the tens of thousands.

Britain has also completed seven aid deliveries and a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters are being sent to the region, in addition to Tornado jets with surveillance equipment.

Earlier, the US described Mr al Maliki's decision to step down as a "major step forward" in uniting Iraq.

Secretary of State John Kerry said: "This milestone decision sets the stage for a historic and peaceful transition of power."

Iraq's most influential cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, offered his support to Mr al Abadi, whose appointment he described as a "rare positive opportunity ... to solve all problems, especially political and security ones".

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