London, UK (www.uk.krg.org) - Minister Falah Mustafa, the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, on Friday in London outlined the Kurdistan Region's war against terrorist militants, its care of 1.4 million refugees and its part in the formation of a new government in Iraq.

Minister Mustafa spoke at a roundtable discussion at the leading defence-focused think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), to diplomats, researchers and government officials about the current crisis in Iraq and Kurdistan. He was accompanied by the KRG's High Representative to the UK, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman.

Minister Mustafa outlined events leading up to the fall of Mosul to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists in early June and the security and humanitarian crisis that has unfolded since.

He said, “From 10 June we found ourselves with a 1,035km border with terrorists, a border that until the end of 2011 had been guarded by six Iraqi security forces divisions and a US military division. Suddenly our Peshmerga had to protect this border alone, with outdated and limited weaponry. Later in June we asked the United States for weapons since ours wouldn't match the modern American weapons that ISIS had captured from the Iraqi army after it fled.”

The Minister said that US airstrikes against ISIS were effective but the Peshmerga needed heavy and advanced weapons and training to continue wining battles on the ground and counter ISIS in the long-term.

Minister Mustafa said the KRG was grateful to the United States for the airstrikes and humanitarian support it had provided, as well as to the UK, France, Germany and many other countries that had stepped forward to support the Peshmerga forces and the refugees.

“The airstrikes boosted the Peshmerga's morale and they were able to regroup, push back and regain territory after the militants’ initial ‎advances,” he said. He indicated that the terrorists are a threat not just to Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria but to the whole world. “We need to see an international response, ‎intelligence sharing and coordination. ISIS’ finances must be drained, and we need to limit their access to new recruits and weapons,” he said.

Minister Mustafa outlined Kurdistan's engagement with fellow Iraqis on the formation of a new government in Iraq. He said that unless there is real reform, Iraq will face an uncertain future.

“It's not about who gets which post in the new government, it's about ending monopolization and marginalization, it is about meaningful change. It is about establishing real partnership in decision-making and giving the Sunnis hope that they are part of Iraq and that their voices matter.”

The minister outlined the steps that Prime Minister-Designate Haidar al-Abadi could take to win the confidence of the Kurds. These include the release of the KRG's 2014 budget, withheld by the current administration for the last eight months, and ending Baghdad's delay of international humanitarian aid flights.

Minister Mustafa said that the advance of ISIS into Iraq following several years of misrule under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will likely prompt Iraq into adopting a looser federal structure in the future. “It's not possible for Iraq to go back to the structure of governance in place prior to 9 June. A loose confederation is how we see it.”

The KRG Minister thanked Britain, France, the United States and other countries that have sent humanitarian aid to the displaced Christians, Yezidis and others who have fled to Kurdistan since June, swelling the total number of refugees and displaced people to 1.4million.

“Our priority is to help IDPs and refugees. The majority of displaced civilians do not have shelter. Many still are not receiving three meals a day or don't have access to education and healthcare. We need international assistance to continue and to be provided at a level appropriate for this crisis.”