Hague: Britain 'will not intervene militarily in Iraq again'

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said that the UK “will not intervene militarily in Iraq again”, and called for the formation of an Iraqi government which “contains all members of society and is able to overcome the current crisis”.

This came in a joint press conference held today with the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, in Irbil after Hague arriving in the region earlier this morning.

He said Britain would provide only “diplomatic, counter-terrorism and humanitarian support.”

He continued: “We must form a broad-based government that contains everyone and is able to overcome the current crisis” at the same time expressing his hope in “the participation of all components of the Iraqi Kurds, Sunnis, and Shias in the formation of the new government.”

During his visit, Hague also met Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, and discussed the security situation with them.