Iraq needs a “broad unity government” if it is to combat Islamist militants who have seized swathes of territory and are threatening minorities, says French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
He is in Iraq for crisis talks on the rapid advance of Islamic State (IS).
His visit comes after the US launched a new round of air strikes targeting IS fighters near Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The president of the autonomous region, Massoud Barzani, appealed for weapons to help fight IS.
Speaking alongside Mr Fabius, Mr Barzani said: “We are not fighting a terrorist organisation, we are fighting a terrorist state”.
US military action came after members of the Yazidi sect were forced to flee the town of Sinjar into the surrounding mountains.