An international coalition of 29 countries has held meetings in Paris to discuss a coordinated response to the threat posed by Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.<br /><br /> Earlier France announced it would join Britain in flying reconnaissance missions to assist the US aircraft engaged in combat sorties in Iraq.<br /><br /> French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the militants are a very real danger: “ISIL is neither a state, nor representative of Islam, it is a menacing, extremist movement. All those here consider it necessary to push it back and make it disappear.” <br /><br /> The Iraqi Foreign Minster Ibrahim al-Jaafari said the militants will be fought on a number of fronts: “A battle of such ferocity requires that our means and efforts are combined, and cover a number of angles, military, political, financial, especially, as there are close to two million citizens displaced.”<br /><br /> US Secretary of State John Kerry declared his coalition-building mission in the Middle East a success and won the backing of a number of Sunni led Arab nations.
