Dubai, United Arab Emirates (gov.krg) - On the second day of the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation’s official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani and his accompanying delegation were received yesterday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and United Arab Emirates. They reaffirmed their willingness to develop these relations, particularly in the political and economic domains.

The latest developments in the region and the war against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, were discussed in the meeting. The two sides stressed the importance of the role of the international coalition in the war against terrorism.

Prime Minister Barzani and his accompanying delegation arrived Dubai on Sunday on an official invitation by UAE government to attend 2015 Dubai Government Summit. The KRG delegation included Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, Minister of Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Planning, Ali Sindi, Minister of Finance and Economy, Rebaz Muhammad and KRG spokesperson, Minister Safeen Dizayee.

Baghdad, Iraq, (KRG.org) - Within three days of arrival in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation headed by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, concluded an agreement with the Federal Government of Iraq. Prior to leaving Baghdad, back to Erbil yesterday, Prime Minister Barzani spoke with the media about the meetings and results of the negotiations.

The KRG Prime Minister highlighted the meetings of the past two days, saying, “During the past two days we have been here in Baghdad in order to address issues between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.  We conducted several meetings with the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Oil Minister, and other ministers. Different teams focused on different negotiations. We completed our visit today.”

Speaking about the conduct and atmosphere at the meetings the Prime Minister said, “I would like to say the meetings were generally positive. We saw a real desire by the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Iraqi Oil Minister, and all other ministers in Prime Minister Abadi’s government to resolve important issues with the Kurdistan Region. I want to emphasize and reiterate that our preference from day one was to resolve all issues through dialogue.  We preferred this option and believe it is the best option.”

Regarding the agreements, Prime Minister Barzani said, “After the former Iraqi Prime Minister unilaterally cut the share of the Kurdistan Region from the Iraqi budget we have attempted to resolve the issue through dialogue.  Fortunately, we reached an agreement with Prime Minister Abadi and his team on a number of issues.  We believe the agreement is transparent and serves the interests of both the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad. Both sides came out of these negotiations successfully."

Regarding the details of the meetings, the Prime Minister said, “The agreement is as follows: The KRG will deliver 250,000 barrels of oil per day from oilfields in the Kurdistan Region to Baghdad, and we will assist them in exporting Kirkuk oil. In turn, the Federal Government of Iraq will provide the Kurdistan Region 17 percent share of the federal budget. We emphasized that the amount received in the past was never 17 percent, it was always less.” 

On the issue of the Peshmerga forces dues which was one of the main unresolved issues, Prime Minister Barzani said, “Prime Minister Abadi offered his respect and gratitude to the Peshmerga forces, especially in the struggle and sacrifices they have been making on the battlefield fighting against ISIS terrorism. Baghdad agreed to allocate 1 trillion 200 billion Iraqi Dinars for the Peshmerga.”

Prime Minister Barzani explained details of the agreement, saying, “The current agreement is not the final agreement, but we believe it to be a good start. There are other issues we should discuss in the coming period and we hope to reach agreement on them, too. This is a good start for both sides and, hopefully, we will resolve all outstanding problems and obstacles within a period of six months or so.

“I can say that, in general, we are pleased with this agreement and consider it a gain for all parties. Given the problems between Erbil and Baghdad, we can say we have come a long way.  What we have seen this time in Baghdad is a desire by the Iraqi Prime Minister to tackle these problems. This encourages us to move forward faster. As I said, our priority is to address and resolve our problems with Baghdad.”

Regarding external pressure, particularly from the United States and other parties on the KRG delegation to reach agreement with Baghdad, the Prime Minister said, “There was no pressure on us.  What we have achieved was through the desire of both Baghdad and Erbil to reach a mutually satisfying agreement. The United States, United Kingdom, and the United Nations role is to encourage both sides to negotiate to reach an agreement. They did not interfere in the negotiations and did not exert any pressure, even in the organization of the meetings. As you know, Iraqi Oil Minister Dr. Adil Abdul Mehdi visited Erbil recently and met with Deputy Prime Minister Mr Qubad Talabani and I.  We agreed then to visit Baghdad to begin these talks.”

Regarding the amount allocated by the Iraqi Government for the Peshmerga forces, whether it was taken from the Kurdistan Region’s portion of the federal budget, Prime Minister Barzani said, “The amount agreed for the Peshmerga forces will be from outside the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget, meaning it will not be from the 17 percent allocated to the Kurdistan Region. They agreed the Peshmerga forces are part of the Iraqi defense system. This agreement is very important because after 11 years of negotiations Baghdad agreed to the proposal to allocate a portion of the national defense budget to the Peshmerga forces.”

In response to a question, KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani emphasized, "the agreement reached between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government works in favor of all sides and I believe that everybody will support this agreement."

Prime Minister Barzani thanked the civil servants, businessmen, and contractors in the Kurdistan Region for their patience with salary and payment delays. He said, "We have already received a payment and are receiving another one.  We hope to overcome the issue of public service salaries by January."   

Regarding exporting oil from Kirkuk oilfields through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline, the KRG Prime Minister explained that, practically speaking, Kirkuk oil can flow only through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline. "We have agreed to export 300 thousand barrels per day. The technical process may start this week."

Prime Minister Barzani also noted, "the process of exporting Kirkuk oil through the Region’s pipeline is in the interest of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. He said the Region would not charge the Iraqi federal government for the export. The Region works within the framework of the Constitution of federal Iraq. This gives the Kurdistan Region opportunity to coordinate approaches to oil export and solve issues without stress." 

Regarding the oil exported by the Kurdistan Region independently, the Prime Minister said, “We continue to export oil that we have, but we will first use it to meet the Region’s domestic fuel requirements. We will export the rest after meeting domestic demand."     

Regarding the agreement between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, Prime Minister Barzani explained, "The budget law is for one year. When we came from Erbil we knew that we will not resolve all issues in a meeting or two. We thought our visit called for a strategy to resolve the issues.  We have now set the strategy. The agreement we have now concluded will open the door to settle all issues within six months to a year.

“What is important is that we managed to implement two important things. First, the sanctions imposed in Iraq’s general budget law on the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget have been removed. Second, we have reached agreement on oil export, the Kurdistan Region’s budget, and the Peshmerga forces’ budget.

"The other issues are article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, incentives for Peshmerga forces, and other outstanding issues for which a period of time will be decided for their settlement. There will be talks also about what is owed to the Kurdistan Region from the 2014 budget, which is 16 trillion Iraqi dinars, as determined by the Iraq Ministry of Finance. All these issues cannot be solved in one meeting, more meetings are needed."

While emphasizing that all differences cannot be solved in one visit or meeting, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated that the agreement concluded with Baghdad paves the way for resolving the issues within six months to one year.

Regarding project loans and mortgages for citizens, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated his government’s commitment to continue support for loans and mortgages.

Regarding guarantees the Iraqi Government will not cut the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget again, the Prime Minister explained, "There are no guarantees that the Iraqi government will not cut the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget. We should not forget, however, that if they cut our share, we hold a key to their oil export. We do not, however, wish to talk in such language, we hope this language is over. We wish to open a new page and avoid using the language of threats."

Regarding Peshmerga forces participating with the Iraqi army in liberating ISIS-controlled territory, the Prime Minister explained, "The Peshmerga forces are now fighting on a 1,100 kilometer-long frontline. Iraq’s Prime Minister lauded their efforts. In fighting a global terrorist organization, what the Peshmerga forces are achieving is most significant and serves the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the whole world." 

Regarding the Iraqi government’s commitment to implementing the agreement, the Prime Minister said, "the agreement has been approved by the Iraqi Council of Ministers and it has become a decree. The Iraqi government has expressed its support to the agreement. On our part we are implementing the agreement. In Baghdad, we observed willingness. We would like to take every opportunity to reach a solution that serves both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. However, to what extent it will actually be implemented, we will have to see that later."

Washington, DC, USA (KRG.org) - During a speech to an audience of top Washington scholars and officials at the Center from Strategic International Studies, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said, ‘Iraq can only be saved if Baghdad is willing to devolve some of its powers to regional authorities and be more inclusive of minorities.’ He said that the poor policies of the previous government alienated the Sunnis of the country, adding, ‘The Islamic State did not fill a security vacuum, but a political vacuum.’

The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) concluded a four-day visit to Washington on Thursday, December 11, 2014. The visit included numerous meetings with senior US administration officials and members of Congress, events at leading think tanks, a roundtable discussion with US business leaders, and interviews with several news agencies.

In an opinion published in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Talabani laid out the challenges that Iraq will face in the future, calling for a return to the federalist structure of the Iraqi Constitution. He applauded the recent negotiations with Baghdad, but said that this is ‘Iraq’s last chance’ to succeed.

Earlier this month the KRG reached an agreement with Baghdad to contribute 250,000 bpd of Kurdish oil and 300,000 bpd from the Kirkuk oilfields to the Iraqi central marketing authority in return for the disbursement of the KRG’s share of Iraqi federal oil revenues. The negotiations demonstrated a possible rapprochement in Erbil-Baghdad relations.

‘US airstrikes have succeeded in ending the expeditionary ventures of the Islamic State, forcing them to change tactics. However, defeating these terrorists will require greater cooperation between Kurdish, Iraqi, and international security forces,’ the DPM said at a meeting with Representative Devin Nunes. Rep. Nunes, the new Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, praised the Peshmerga for their efforts in combating ISIS and highlighted US-KRG cooperation at the Joint Operations Center in Erbil.

Since August, the US and coalition forces have carried out hundreds of airstrikes on ISIS targets throughout Iraq. These efforts are coordinated largely through the Joint Operations Center where over 1,500 US military advisors work closely with the Peshmerga to identify and destroy terrorist positions.

The DPM also met with other influential members of Congress including Senators John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, and Lindsey Graham, and Representatives Michael McCaul, Steny Hoyer, Dana Rohrabacher, and others.

Mr Talabani conducted a number of meetings with US administration and defense officials at the Department of State, Pentagon, and White House. He updated the officials on the political, security, and humanitarian developments in the Kurdistan Region, and asked administration officials to continue to be supportive of the KRG’s efforts to resolve outstanding issues with Baghdad.

He also met with members of the US-Kurdistan Business Council to discuss business opportunities in the region. He said, ‘Kurdistan remains safe, secure, and open for international investment.’

The KRG Mission in Washington hosted a town hall meeting with DPM Talabani for the Kurdish-American community at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fairfax, Virginia. Mr Talabani delivered remarks and updates from the Kurdistan Region, and took questions from the audience for over two hours. He also thanked the community for their ongoing support for the 1.5 million displaced persons. Several organizations in the Washington area, including the KRG Mission, have organization financial and clothing donation drives to bring supplies to those in need.

Media  appearances

Qubad Talabani op-ed in Wall Street Journal – ‘Saving Iraq in the Post-Maliki Era’  http://bit.ly/1sordbC

Lara Jakes for the Associated Press – ‘Iraqi Kurd urges regional rule for Iraqi Sunnis’ http://apne.ws/1xaJRKK

Margeret Warner for PBS NewsHour -  ‘Kurdish deputy prime minister urges U.S. leaders to remain engaged in Iraq’ http://to.pbs.org/1Gp1o1E

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Today marks the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. These attacks targeted innocent civilians and shocked the world, and the world responded with widespread condemnation and action. The United States reacted by showing its might and the resolve of its proud nation.

The US-led international war against Al-Qaeda targeted terrorists wherever they were, ultimately resulting in the capture and death of many of the organisation’s leaders, including Osama Bin Laden.

Today, a group with the same ideology that spawned Al-Qaeda, employing extreme and barbaric tactics, is targeting the people of Syria, Iraq and the entire region, as well as attempting to disrupt the peace and stability of Kurdistan. Whereas Al-Qaeda hid in caves and was based underground, members of the so-called Islamic State, which is neither Islamic nor a State, walk freely in cities inside Iraq and Syria, causing mayhem, terrorising people and threatening civilians and states alike.

On this occasion, I would like to praise President Barack Obama for the powerful speech he delivered yesterday in which he explicitly stated that with the help of its allies, the United States will destroy this terrorist group. The Kurdistan Region attaches great importance to its friendship and partnership with the United States. After the September 11th attacks and throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, the people and the government of the Kurdistan Region have stood firmly and proudly with our American allies. We extend the same hand of friendship today in this new campaign to eradicate a serious threat to regional and international security.

We have made clear our intention to work with the United States to bring about a democratic and federal Iraq as outlined by the Iraqi Constitution. At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to the United States to combat the scourge of terrorism. Today we are proud to be fighting terrorism on the front lines, on behalf of the world, and we stand ready to continue this fight for the sake of peace and stability.

We once again express our condolences to the families of those killed in the heinous acts of September 11th, and to those who have lost their lives fighting for freedom and democracy – Iraqi, Kurdish, American, British, or of any other nationality. We pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their sons and daughters so that others may enjoy better, safer lives.

We reassure the American people that just as the United States has stood with us during our most difficult times, we will stand with you in the global fight against the culture of barbarism, ignorance, and intolerance that defines terrorism.

Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani
Kurdistan Regional Government
11 September 2014

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani yesterday met with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and his accompanying delegation to discuss the current situation and Canada’s military and humanitarian assistance.

The Foreign Minister applauded the Kurdistan Region for combating terrorism and providing humanitarian aid for the displaced. He described the acts committed by the terrorists against civilians and the Kurdistan Region as tragic.

The visiting delegation reiterated Canada’s continuous support for the Kurdistan Region in its fight against the terrorists and its efforts to provide humanitarian aid for the displaced.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani applauded Canada’s provision of humanitarian and military aid and hailed the role of Canada’s Ambassador to Iraq. He stressed that the Kurdistan Region is fighting terrorism on behalf of the whole world.

KRG Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, Chief of Staff to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Dr Fuad Hussein, and other officials also attended the meeting.

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and senior KRG officials yesterday met with a high-level British delegation in Erbil aimed at expediting humanitarian aid delivery and coordination.

The UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, and the Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, arrived in Erbil to accelerate provision of humanitarian support for displaced families sheltered in the Kurdistan Region.

Both sides discussed educational, health, and humanitarian challenges facing Iraqi internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrian refugees now residing in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG, with help from the international community, is providing for the needs of these families. The British delegation noted a decision to increase humanitarian aid and coordinate directly with the KRG and non-governmental organisations in Kurdistan. The delegation also noted the importance of working closely with the relevant United Nations agencies.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani emphasised that the Kurdistan Regional Government, despite enormous financial difficulty, has managed to come to the rescue of displaced people and refugees who have sought shelter in the Kurdistan Region. He stressed that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorist organisation cannot be allowed a foothold anywhere in Iraq, calling for further coordination between the KRG and Baghdad in combating the terrorists and providing humanitarian aid for IDPs in Kurdistan, where Baghdad should take on a more active role.

Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, Minister of Planning Dr Ali Sindi, Minister of Health Dr Rekawt Rashid, Head of Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa, and KRG Representative to the UK Bayan Rahman also attended the meeting on behalf of the KRG.