Washington, DC, USA (dfr.gov.krd) - Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir , Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, and the newly appointed Representative to the United States, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, concluded their week-long round of meetings in Washington DC by seeing officials at the White House and State Department.

The Kurdistan Regional Government delegation has been in the US capital to introduce the new Representative and to update the Administration, Congress, media and business community on developments in Kurdistan and Iraq.

Four key White House advisors met with Minister Bakir and Ms Abdul Rahman on Thursday to discuss the growing collaboration between the KRG and the US in the fight against terrorism. 'The US has long been an important, strategic ally of the people of the Kurdistan Region,' Mr Bakir told the team from both the President and Vice-President's offices. Ms Abdul Rahman said, ‘As the KRG Representative here in Washington, I will continue to build the strategic partnership between our people, on all fronts.’

Philip Gordon, a special assistant to President Barack Obama and the White House coordinator for the Middle East, welcomed Ms Abdul Rahman and said he was encouraged by the presence of the KRG office in Washington and frequent visits by Minister Bakir. He recognised and thanked the peshmerga for their dedication and sacrifices in combating the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Also at the meeting were Colin Kahl,Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden; Robert Malley, Senior Director of the National Security Council; and ‎Andy Kim, Iraq Director at the National Security Council.

The two sides discussed the political progress in Baghdad under Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi ‎and the current debate in the Iraqi parliament on the budget law which for the first time allocates funds for the peshmerga as part of Iraq's defence system. They also talked about security developments as the peshmerga regain all Kurdistani territories and the continuing humanitarian crisis.

The delegation also met with senior  officials on Friday at the State Department to discuss the issues of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, US support for the peshmerga, and the recent negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad.

The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador Anne Patterson, updated the delegates on US efforts to combat ISIL and praised the peshmerga for their successes in Sinjar.

In a separate meeting at the State Department, Kelly Tallman Clements, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, expressed her concern for the 1million people displaced into the Kurdistan Region since last year who joined the 1million or so fellow Iraqis and Syrians who had been sheltering in Kurdistan before that. Minister Bakir thanked the US for its support, but said that aid from the international community needs to continue, especially through the cold winter months.

Minister Bakir and Representative Abdul Rahman also met General Jim Jones, a friend of Kurdistan since 1991 who is now chief executive of the US-Kurdistan Business Council. They discussed Kurdistan's economic recovery in 2015 and ways to expand commercial ties between the two countries.

The KRG delegation continued its introductory meetings on Capitol Hill, including with members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and House Committee on Appropriations. Speaking on the growing cooperation between KRG, US, and Iraqi forces, Senator Pat Roberts said, ‘If we are to be successful in Iraq, the Kurds will lead the way.’

These meetings came at the end of a week-long round of talks by the KRG delegation with congressmen and ‎senators who sit on key committees or are interested in Kurdistan, Iraq and the Middle East.‎ The Minister and Representative also called on the Iraqi Ambassador, Lukman Faily, met with the KRG Representation team in Washington and spoke to the media.

Washington DC, USA (dfr.gov.krd) - A Kurdistan Regional Government delegation held meetings with the Department of Defense, congressmen and‎ senators in Washington DC on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the fight against ISIL and the humanitarian crisis in Kurdistan.

In a key meeting with Lisa Kenna, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy, and her colleagues at the Department of Defense, Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations,  said, ‘The peshmerga are a competent, coherent force and they have retaken almost all the territory lost to the terrorists in the summer. The peshmerga are the boots on the ground and are winning thanks to the help of the US and coalition airstrikes‎. We need your support for the long term to turn the peshmerga into a national force.'

Since August, the US has conducted over 1,600 of airstrikes targeting the Islamic State in in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Minister Bakir also introduced Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the new KRG Representative to the United States, who thanked the Pentagon for its timely and critical assistance. Minister Bakir was in Washington ‎to introduce the Representative and to update the Administration and Congress on the political, humanitarian and security situation in Kurdistan and Iraq.
The KRG delegation repeated its request for heavy, advanced  weapons ‎as well as equipment to counter mines and unexploded devices, and training for the peshmerga.

The delegation also held a meeting with the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce. In December, Chairman Royce introduced a bill that would allow the US to directly arm and train Kurdish peshmerga forces. The Congressman told the delegation, ‘We are working to get the peshmerga the tools they need to defeat ISIL,' he said.
Although the Congressman’s bill has not been voted on, Congress has passed other measures to bring defence equipment to the peshmerga, including the Iraq Train and Equip Fund which passed as part of the National Defence Authorisation Act.

Mr Bakir and Ms Abdul Rahman also talked with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and ‎Congressman Adam Kinzinger, both of whom are on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

At the Senate, the KRG delegation‎ spoke to Jim Inhofe,  senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who also supports arming and training the peshmerga. 'The Kurds in Iraq have proven themselves to be fierce fighters in combatting ISIL,' he said. 'Providing them with the necessary weapons and equipment will be key to enabling them to successfully defeat this well-funded and organised terrorist organisation.'

In all its meetings, the KRG delegation also outlined the severe winter conditions now facing the internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees from Syria in Kurdistan and the particular targeting of ethnic and religious minorities by ISIL. They thanked America for its contribution towards the relief effort and asked that it continue to do so.

Minister Bakir said, 'We are pleased to have so many friends who support the development of the  KRG and have shown solidarity and support in the fight against ISIL as well as support for the KRG's efforts to help the IDPs and refugees.'

There are about 2 million refugees and IDPs, stretching Kurdistan's services to the limit. These issues were highlighted in talks with Senators Ron Johnson and Pat Roberts and Congressmen Adam Smith, Kay Granger and Nita Lowey. Earlier in the week, the delegation met several congressmen and senators, including Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher‎ and Steve King, as well as the senior staff of some of the committees.

Washington DC, USA (www.dfr.gov.krd) - Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, called on Brett McGurk of the State Department and several senators and congressmen to introduce the new Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman.

The Minister is in Washington as Ms Abdul Rahman assumes her post as Representative to update Administration officials, congressmen and the media on the peshmerga's advances against ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham)‎ and the need for heavy weapons and humanitarian aid.

The Minister ‎and Representative met Mr McGurk, who is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department, on Tuesday. They thanked him for his support for Kurdistan and Iraq and for the warm welcome with which he received them.

Minister Bakir said, 'We thank the United States for stepping in to assist Kurdistan in 1991, for liberating Iraq in 2003 and then for proving to be our friends again in 2014 when your air strikes boosted the morale of our people and peshmerga against ISIS.'

Ms Abdul Rahman said she looked forward to working with Mr McGurk at this critical time in the US-Kurdistan relationship when they are fighting ISIS terrorists together.

Mr McGurk agreed that the United States and Kurdistan were in a strategic partnership that benefited both sides. He and the KRG delegation discussed the military needs of the peshmerga, who are spearheading the fight against ISIS, and the humanitarian crisis in Kurdistan and Iraq. Both sides welcomed the atmosphere of cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad.

Yesterday, the KRG delegation met senior members of congress, including Senator Bob Corker who chairs the Senate Foreign ‎Relations Committee and represents Tennessee which hosts the largest Kurdish community in the United States. They discussed the situation in Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria, what further assistance the United States could provide to the peshmerga, and the protection of Iraq's minorities who have found a safe haven in  Kurdistan.

Similar discussions were held with Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Senator Tim Kaine, who sits on various committees, and Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen who heads the defence sub-committee of the Appropriations Committee.

Minister Bakir and Ms Abdul Rahman also held discussions with Congressman Gerry Connolly and separately Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who are longtime friends of Kurdistan.

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

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – In response to inaccurate media reports about the postponement of President Barzani’s visit to Washington, D.C., Kurdistan Region Presidency Spokesman Omed Sabah said in a statement that it was President Barzani who decided to postpone the visit to a more convenient date.

“In fact all preparations were already made by the U.S. Administration, and dates were set for meetings with senior Administration officials and the U.S. President. But President Barzani made the decision to postpone his visit to a more convenient time. This was a subject of discussion in the telephone conversation between the U.S. Vice President and the Kurdistan Region President on Friday,” said the statement