Mosul offensive "decisive" in post-IS era: Hollande

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said the military operation to retake Mosul in Iraq was a "major" step in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) and "decisive" in stabilizing the city once the group is defeated.

"The battle of Mosul is decisive to hunt Daesh (the Islamic State) but we must do that effectively on the militarily field, and to be exemplary in humanitarian and political terms," Hollande said.

"It will be long but it will be successful if there is a political stability. We must, therefore, create the conditions for a return to stability in Mosul and all liberated areas from Daesh," he added.

At a meeting after the Mosul operation in Paris, the French president pointed to the need to plan a separate operation against IS insurgents in Syria, where they are fleeing from the neighboring Iraqi region.

"We must be exemplary in chasing down the terrorists who are leaving Mosul for Raqqa," he said.

"We cannot accept success as allowing those who were in Mosul to disappear to other locations where they can then launch attacks," he told the gathering.

Speaking on a video conference call from Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi who co-chaired Paris meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hailed "a full Iraqi unity," adding that it was for the first time in more than two decades Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fought together to eradicate Daesh.

"The forces are pushing towards the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had planned," he said on a video posted on the Quai d'Orsay website.

Abadi added all efforts were being made to create humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing Mosul which the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad in 2014 declared the capital of caliphate spanning regions of Iraq and Syria.

In a final statement, participating countries agreed on "the absolute need to do everything possible to ensure, with respect for human rights and in accordance with international humanitarian law, protection of civilian populations."

They also vowed to continue supporting Iraqi authorities in its efforts to reconstruct Iraqi second-largest city mainly by providing expertise, know-how and appropriate financial support.

"In order to defeat Daesh in the long term, the participants called for a comprehensive political agreement between Iraqi national authorities and local players, so as to guarantee strengthened governance of Mosul and the surrounding area that is inclusive, respects the diversity of the population, and guarantees peaceful coexistence," they stressed in a communique released by the French Foreign Ministry.

Twenty countries including the United States, China, Turkey, Gulf states and European allies participated in Paris meeting.

The coalition's defense ministers will meet in Paris next Tuesday to assess progress of the military operation. Enditem