Iran presence at anti-ISIL forum was necessary

Iraqi President Fouad Massoum says Iran should have been invited to an international conference to discuss the battle against ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Iraq.

Iran’s participation in the conference was necessary, said the Iraqi president in an interview with the London-based al-Hayat newspaper.

Highlighting Iran’s role in fighting against terrorism, the Iraqi leader said he had told French officials that Iran’s presence in the coalition against terrorism in the region was necessary.

The Islamic Republic of Iran helped Iraq from the very first day the ISIL Takfiri group launched an attack on Iraq’s Kurdistan region, he further noted.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari also said earlier this week that Baghdad opposed the decision not to invite Iran to the anti-ISIL conference in Paris.

“Iraq was not the host of the conference, so this was not our decision to make; however, we did not agree with the exclusion of Iran,” Ibrahim al-Jaafari said.

On Monday, France hosted a conference, dubbed the International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq, to discuss ways of tackling the ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria amid US efforts to form a so-called international coalition to battle the Takfiri group.

Despite the international community’s emphasis on the importance of Iran’s role in the regional developments, Tehran was not invited to the meeting in Paris mainly due to the US opposition.

The US has also announced that Iran will not be a part of its so-called coalition against the ISIL.

Tehran has on several occasions voiced support for the Iraqi government since it began fighting against the ISIL in June. The ISIL terrorists are in control of some areas in Syria and have captured large swathes of land in neighboring Iraq.

The Takfiri terrorist groups have committed heinous crimes and threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Izadi Kurds, during their advances.